Remember
by Diesel Malfoy
Summary: She couldn't believe she was seeing him after all these years. She couldn't believe how her body responded to his. She couldn't believe how her feelings were becoming seriously conflicted. Ginny Weasley is engaged to the Boy Wonder himself, but things start to get complicated when she takes a job at Hogwarts and meets a familiar Slytherin. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

She was going to throw up. She could feel it, any minute now she was going to spew all over McGonagall's office. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"Nervous?"

She looked up and smiled at the portrait of Dumbledore.

"Something like that," she replied.

"I have a feeling you'll get the job," he winked and left the portrait. Ginny blinked and stared at the empty portrait. Maybe McGonagall had spoken about her? She was contemplating whether it would have been worse to vomit or run away before the interview when the door burst open. She turned to see one of her favourite professors walk in. She sat down and magically closed a few curtains causing the room to become a little darker. Ginny gulped.

"Well, Miss Weasley, you're looking well," she said, eyeing her. So she'd heard.

News of her engagement had hit the news stands only hours after she had gotten the ring on her finger. Her mother wept, actually Ginny was sure her mother was still weeping with joy. Everyone else was more than excited. A little too excited for Ginny's tastes. Maybe it was cold feet, but as soon as she heard about the position at Hogwarts open up she knew she had to take it. It's not that she didn't love Harry. She just needed some space to breathe. She couldn't do that with her mother and Hermione planning every aspect of her wedding, every moment of the day.

"As are you, it's nice to see you," she said, trying not to stutter. She wanted this job more than anything. It meant space, time and some freedom.

"Congratulations on the engagement, I always had a feeling you two would end up together," she said, warmly. Ginny nodded. If she had a galleon for every time she heard that one.

"I'm really excited about the position," hoping to change topics and get back to why she was really here.

"I know you are that's why you've got Madam Hooch's spot," said McGonagall looking at her over her glasses. Her eyes twinkled, crinkling at the side just like Dumbledore's.

"But what about the interview?" asked Ginny, looking around as if someone was going to jump out and tell her it was all a joke.

"I've seen you on a broom and frankly, none of the other applicants were Gryffindors," said McGonagall laughing.

"Professor McGonagall —"

"Minvera," she corrected her.

Ginny left her interview with a big smile on her face, she half walked, half skipped down the hall. What was even better was that she doubted Harry would come to Hogwarts everyday to see her. She felt a tiny pang of guilt for feeling that way but she wanted her space. No, she needed her space. She was still going to marry him come June, was a little space too much to ask for? She didn't think so.

She watched some of the students walk around Hogwarts and smiled remembering her own time as a student. She was busy in thought when something blonde caught her eye. She looked over to the right and suddenly the world froze. Time stood still. Her own heart seemed to have beat itself out of her chest and was now laying on the ground.

There he was, with the same platinum blonde hair, only longer. The same bright eyes, the same dimples when he smiled. He was in black robes but she could see he was taller, built stronger and more defined. He hadn't shaved in a few days and some light stubble was on his face. He was standing on the other side of the hall speaking to a student. He seemed happier, if that was possible. There was something different about him, she could feel it from where she was standing.

She put a hand over her chest and stepped back behind the wall. Draco Malfoy was here, at Hogwarts. She hadn't seen him since… she didn't want to think about the war. She shut her eyes as her heart somehow found its way from the ground back into her chest. She had read about his marriage in the paper. It was the talk of the town for a while, to say it was a grand affair was an understatement.

What on earth was he doing here? She took a deep breath and poked her head around the corner. She caught sight of his robes billowing behind him towards the dungeons. What on earth was Draco doing in the dungeons?

She looked up at the ceiling.

"Very funny, bring my childhood crush back into my life. Good stuff," she said, giving the heavens above two sarcastic thumbs up. She looked around and saw a student headed towards the dungeons.

"Hey you," she approached a young Ravenclaw girl, who jumped when she spoke.

"Me?" asked the girl, who looked like she was in second year. She had big round glasses (after the war, Harry got his own eye glasses line and almost every child, everywhere was wearing the same dumb round glasses). Her hair was tied into pigtails. She seemed nervous that Ginny was approaching her. Her oversized robes seem to engulf her. Ginny smiled remembering how her own robes done the same. Her mother always bought a size bigger so she could grow into them.

"Yes you, I'm the new flying instructor, nice to meet you," she smiled, warmly, trying not to scare the child away. The little girl's face lit up.

"Oh great! When we found out Madam Hooch was leaving, we were so sad and —"

"Yes, that's great," said Ginny, impatiently, waving her hand. Normally, she wouldn't have been so blunt with a child but she was nervous.

"Draco Malfoy isn't a professor here is he?" she asked, with baited breathe. She had a nagging feeling she knew the truth.

"Professor Malfoy? He's our potions professor!"

Ginny thanked the little girl and headed up the stairs towards the teacher's quarters. Her heart stopped in her chest when she realized Madam Hooch's room was near the Quidditch pitch…near Snape's old room. She shook her head. No, no it couldn't be, fate wouldn't be so cruel.

She arrived at her room and opened the door. The room was huge with windows overseeing the Quidditch pitch. There was a closet next to the door and the bed on the far right facing the windows. She stepped inside and looked outside the window. Her heart was bursting at the site of the Quidditch pitch, some of her best memories happened on that pitch. She closed her yes and leaned against the glass, letting the coolness seep through her.

Her heart refused to calm down. She tried to convince herself that her nervousness had nothing to do with a certain blonde professor in the building.

"Stop it, Ginny!" she told herself.

So what if they had shared a kiss a million years ago. It meant nothing. She still remembered how it felt, to be kissed by him. To feel his lips on hers. She'd been terrified at the time worried he would tell Ron or Harry, but he never did. She couldn't help it, hoping he would like her back, and knowing how wrong it was. But he never did look back at her, he never did notice her again. She'd completely forgotten about him. Okay, that was a lie. There was the small, tiny, very tiny fact that Harry's kisses had never made her feel half as excited as Draco's.

She shook her head. She was engaged she wasn't supposed to think like that.

Besides, she couldn't ignore all the time he was horrible to her or her family. She couldn't ignore which side he was on during the war. She especially couldn't ignore the fact that he was married. Or more importantly, that she was engaged. Right, the last one mattered the most.

Oh, but that one kiss! The memory alone shot a wave of pleasure through her body. She shut her eyes and put her face in her hands. Her conflicted feelings were not helping keeping the vomiting at bay. She groaned from the mental agony. After a few minutes she got up. She had a plan, she had made up her mind.

She would ignore Draco at all costs, run in the opposite direction if she ever saw him and never sit by him during meal times. In fact, she may start eating everywhere else but the Great Hall. At least he didn't know she was here yet, which was somewhat of a relief. Besides, she doubted he cared about her anyway.

—

Draco assigned two scrolls worth of homework and watched as his students groaned. Normally, he would have made a joke or a light hearted comment about it but not today. He'd known she was in the school. He thought he had caught a glimpse of her hair before she ducked behind a wall. He mentally rolled his eyes, as if she could ever hide that flaming red hair of hers. He groaned inwardly, thinking of her hair wasn't a good idea. Because it led to thinking of her eyes, her smile, her soft cheeks, her kissable lips.

He sighed, he wanted nothing more than to let the potions classroom be hit be a meteor. But alas, Hogwarts was protected against all that.

"Bye professor Malfoy!" said Daphne Willows. He looked up and nodded at her before sitting down at his desk. He watched the last few students leave and smiled as they complained about the homework.

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. When Minerva had approached him and the rest of the professors about Ginny teaching at Hogwarts he was stunned. He had had a few weeks now to get used to the idea of seeing her again. He would never admit to anyone how miserable the news of her engagement made him. But he had every right to, he was divorced after all. Misery was part of the deal, even if it wasn't for the right reasons.

Astoria Greengrass was everything his father and mother had wanted in a daughter-in-law. He had married her because of them. Shortly after his father's death things changed. His mother became sick and passed on weeks later. That was the last straw. He knew it was cruel to tell Astoria he was leaving her at the funeral, but he knew it was the right thing to do. That was one year ago and she was now happily engaged to another guy. He had taken the Potion's post and had six months of bliss. Six months of pure bliss until he was told _she_ was coming back.

Of all the places in the world she chose Hogwarts! It was his salvation — not hers. Yet here she was. It was hard to tell what he was feeling. His parents were gone, he was single, for once in his life he could actually have feelings for anyone he wanted. But the woman was engaged, and to Potter of all people.

He could still remember their kiss, it still left a faint smile on his lips. She had Advanced Potions and was partnered with him. There was always something about her that he liked, so he managed to get her to do their assignment in the quiet part of the library. He remembered playing with her hair, remembered how she looked up at him confused and before he knew it, he was gathering her in his arms and kissing her. She'd responded to his touch, to his kiss and he could still hear her moan. It hadn't gotten much farther than that before she broke away and practical tripped over herself to get away.

She was mortified and never spoke to him again. But he had always kept tabs on her after that night. He hadn't admitted it then, but something about her made his blood sing. He doubted she even felt the same, she was probably revolted by the sight of him.

Many people were revolted by the sight of him, he had a tough time winning over people after the war. Shame and guilt settled in the pit of his stomach again. Minerva had thankfully looked past everything and welcomed him with open arms. However, not everyone was nearly as forgetful.

He opened his eyes and made up his mind. He would avoid her at all costs. He would ignore her when he saw her, turn in the opposite direction and steer clear of her. He'd never have to think of her again or feel the hot sting of her rejection. He smirked to himself, it was a brilliant plan.

—

She spent the entire evening putting her things away and decorating her room. She'd had her things delivered and waved Harry off at Hogsmeade. She didn't want anyone coming back with her. After she finally put away the last of her sweaters she looked up at the clock and bit her lip. She knew it was time for dinner and Minerva would probably be introducing her tonight. There was no way around not seeing him.

She stood by the mirror and decided to add some blush to her cheeks, maybe some lipstick. She convinced herself it was for looking presentable to the students, it had nothing to do with Draco.

She took a deep breathe and got up. She fisted her shaking hands and reached for the door. She stopped and stepped back. She shook her head and tried again. She took a deep breath, grabbed her robes and stepped out. Okay, she had made it into the hallway, now all she had to do, was go into the Great Hall, see Draco…and run away. No, no no. She would go into the Great Hall, sit far away from him, make no eye contact, eat and rush back to her room.

She made it through majority of the castle without seeing him, but every time any blonde guy taller than her walked by her heart jumped back into her throat. Lovely, this was going to be just lovely, she thought bitterly. She made her way to the teacher's entrance and starred at the door. Once she opened it, she'd see everyone at the table. Draco would be at the table.

Every instinct told her to run, run and hide out in her room. She shook her hands out. She cursed under her breathe, she felt like she was fifteen all over again. She quickly grabbed the handle and yanked.

She stepped up and noticed some of the professors looked at her. She waved at Hagrid, who waved back. She went red in the face and quickly found Hooch's old spot by the table.

"It is my great pleasure, to welcome Professor Ginny Weasley who will be taking over for Madam Hooch. Let's all give her a warm hand," said Minerva. Ginny looked up and smiled, she did a little wave to the students and went back to looking at her lap. She sat down and stared at her lap, hoping she wasn't red as a tomato, even though knowing she was. Once the food appeared she dug in.

"Ginny!" said a voice. She turned to see Neville as he sat down next to her. His hair was a little longer and curling at his ears. He had a little bit of dirt on his cheek but no matter how old he got, he'd still be the clumsy Neville she knew and loved.

"Neville! How are you?" she leaned over and hugged him. As she did, her eyes flittered over the rest of the table and there was no blonde head. She did a double take and carefully looked everywhere. There was an empty seat beside Hagrid. She blinked, wondering whether Draco had even bothered showing up to dinner. She ignored the small tug of disappointment in her chest.

"I'm great. It's so nice to see you, congratulations about the engagement," he said, patting her on the back. Ginny smiled back awkwardly, she knew she should be happy to be reminded of her engagement, but she just wanted everyone to be quiet about it.

"How's Harry?" he asked, drinking some pumpkin juice. Ginny finished chewing her bread roll and made a face.

"He's been smothering me ever since. He's at my house everyday, he thinks I'm going to reconsider," she said, shrugging.

"Well, are you?" asked Neville, adding more gravy to his pot pie.

"No," she sighed, putting her chin in her hand.

"But you're happy with your decision, right Ginny?"

"I am, Neville," she said, nodding while brushing her hair behind her ear. She starred out into the Great Hall and they sat in silence for a few moments. She turned back to him and slapped his knee.

"Neville! How's teaching?" she asked.

Two minutes into his conversation she regretted asking. Neville's love of Herbology was something else entirely. After what seemed like a century, dessert arrived and Neville was too busy eating to talk. She quickly finished and wished him goodnight before walking over to Hagrid. He greeted her with a hug.

"Congratulations on the engagement Ginny," he said happily. She then spent the next twenty minutes listing to Hagrid talk about every single thing Harry had done at Hogwarts. She managed to slip away with a fake coughing fit.

She walked to her room and wondered why on earth Draco had missed dinner. Maybe he was sick. Or maybe he was avoiding her. She shook her head and was a few steps away from her door when she noticed footsteps behind her. She quickly turned and noticed Neville walking into his room, he waved at her. She sighed in relief and waved back as she reached her door. She patted her pockets and noticed her wand was missing. She looked around at the floor and turned when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Neville —" She stopped.

Grey eyes, blonde hair, it wasn't Neville. It was Draco.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She stood staring into his eyes, finding it difficult to breathe. So much for running in the opposite direction, she thought to herself. He was wearing black robes, similar to the ones Snape would wear. His hair hung around his neck. He stepped closer. She looked down and saw her wand in his hand.

She was about to say something when someone called out to them. They turned to see Minerva rushing towards them, hat astray, robes billowing behind her. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing was slightly laboured. Ginny worriedly lent her shoulder for support and Minerva nodded in appreciation.

"Thank goodness you're up, I need a bit of help tonight," she said, straightening, her breathing returning to normal.

"What's the problem?" asked Draco. Ginny refused to look over at him, he was already standing too close and she could practically feel the sex oozing from him. She shook her head and furrowed her brow, trying to focus on Minerva. She took a casual step to the left, without making it look like she was trying to run away. Thinking of Draco was one thing, but being in his presence made her body feel different. She needed to get away and fast.

"Filch is sick, I need two professors to roam the castle just a little after midnight. Some students like to get out, well you two know," said Minerva, winking. Ginny blanched.

"What! What do you mean? We don't know, I don't know what you mean," she said hurriedly, throwing her hands up, and shaking her head. Minerva looked at her as if she'd gone mad and she could feel Draco's eyes on her without looking over.

"It was just a joke," said Minerva, blinking at her outburst. Ginny laughed waving a hand in front of her face and nodded.

"Right, right," she continued to nod.

"Anyway, I was wondering if both of you could go together —"

"NO!" she screamed. Ginny clamped a hand over her mouth and some of the paintings on the walls shook their heads and told her to stop screaming. She grimaced and ran her tongue over her teeth, before continuing, slowly.

"What I meant, Minerva, was that I'll take the West wing. Splitting up would be easier," she said in a levelled tone. Minerva seemed to contemplate this for a second before she shrugged.

"Seems to be easier with two people, but all right if you choose —"

"Great, great, okay I'll take the West!" she said hurriedly, and turned to grab her wand out of Draco's grasp. He let go and she made a run for it. She didn't bother stopping to see if anyone was following her, it wasn't until she got near Gryffindor tower that she relaxed. She took a deep breath and looked behind her. No one. She did a mental high five with herself. Avoiding Draco wouldn't be too hard. One day down, just the rest of time to go. Piece of pie.

—

Draco watched her red hair fly in different directions as she ran off without letting Minerva finish her sentence. He looked over at the headmistress and shrugged, although knowing quite well why Ginny ran away. She was so revolted by the sight of him, she couldn't even handle spending a few hours alone with him.

"I'll take the East," he replied. Minerva thanked him and left. He walked back to his room and changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater before heading out.

It was a quiet night, eerily silent. The only sound was his shoes making contact with ground beneath him. He sighed, hands in his pockets, looking out towards the ground as he walked by the windows. So what if Ginny Weasley didn't like him back, he was Draco Malfoy after all. There were tons of girls who wanted him. He could probably stand in Diagon Alley and announce that he was single and he was sure women would probably kill themselves to get over to him. Normally, the thought would put his mind at ease. But not tonight, not since his parents' passing did any of these thoughts put his mind at ease. For once in his life, he could think for himself.

And he did, think for himself that is. He thought about how he wanted friends, he wanted loyalty, he wanted exactly what that stupid Potter had. Seeing her tonight, in person, in front of him, he didn't expect to be taken aback by her beauty.

He sure didn't expect to feel the way he did around her. It had years since he'd seen her and his body reacted as if he was a hormonal teenager again. He threw his head back and continued walking until he heard a noise. He stopped and looked down the hall. He saw a broom door closet close. He shook his head, this place had way too many closets, almost forcing the students to use them. He thought for a moment if he should walk in on some students snogging or let them be. He smirked, what fun would it be if he didn't make it memorable for them?

He walked over to the closet quietly and waited a beat before he threw the door open viciously.

"Ah-ha!" he declared. He starred at the boy inside, he looked young, most likely a first year, mousy brown hair hanging around his ears, Potter glasses (Draco hoped the whole lot of those glasses would burn down so no child could ever wear them again), and a camera hanging from his neck. He studied the boy's red pyjamas and concluded he must be in Gryffindor. The boy was sitting down and looked up at him with big blue eyes. He blinked. Draco blinked back.

"What're you doing in there?" he asked, lightly. The boy smiled.

"Hi Professor Malfoy," he said, "I'm just waiting for a girl." Draco grimaced, he hoped for the boy's sake that was true. In fact, if a girl walked up to the closet looking for this guy Draco would gladly leave them alone. The boy looked like he could use a win.

"What's your name?" asked Draco.

"Colin Creevey the Second," he said proudly. Draco wracked his brain for a second.

"The Second? There was a Colin Creevey when I was in school here," The boy's face lit up.

"That was my uncle! My dad says he used to carry a camera around just like this. He passed away, fighting the Great Fight," he said proudly. Draco nodded, his father was Creevey's little brother, Dennis. He had seen the little guy fighting. Draco had even thrown a hex or two at him. He recoiled in the inside, maybe Ginny was right trying to stay away from him.

"So when was this girl supposed to meet you?" he asked, bending down so he was at level with him.

"Two hours ago, but she probably got lost, there's a lot of broom closets in this place you know," he said, smiling. Draco's heart twisted. He knew for a fact this kid had been stood up. He sighed.

"Come on let's get you back in bed, maybe you can ask this girl tomorrow why she didn't show," he said, getting up and giving a hand to Colin. The child hesitated but nodded in defeat and grabbed his hand. They began to walk towards Gryffindor Tower and the boy didn't let go of his hand. Draco didn't mind, feeling his tiny palm in his own was a nice feeling. He looked down at the little boy's head.

"Did you ever use the broom closets?" asked Colin, looking up at him. Draco smiled.

"Nope. I wasn't as good looking as you," he replied. "Can I give you some advice?"

They stopped and Draco got down on one knee.

"Next time, don't meet a girl in a broom closet, ask her to sit beside you at dinner, or for a stroll near the lake. Women like that," he said. Colin nodded hanging off of his every word.

"Can we take a picture together Professor Malfoy?" he asked. The little boy stretched the camera out and took a picture with the flash facing them before Draco had a chance to say yes. Draco blinked several times before he could see again.

"Now up to bed, I'm not taking any points off of Gryffindor, but if I see you again at night, I will," he chided. The boy nodded.

"Thanks for the selfie," he said, waving goodnight. Draco waved back awkwardly, not knowing what a selfie was.

He turned away and realized he was on her side of the castle. He was about to leave when he heard a scream near the girls bathroom. He rushed over, following the little shrieks and saw Ginny soaked head to toe, shouting incantations to an overflowing tap. The floor was flooded, the water seemed to stay inside the bathroom only.

"Ginny —"

She turned the wand on him and he put to hands up. The water was up to her knees. Her eyes were bright, her hair cling to her face. Her jeans and sweater were soaked through and clung to every part of her body. He mentally groaned at the exquisite sight. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and turned back to the taps. He'd seen this spell before. There was no point in stopping it, each spell only doubled the water. The spell would wear off by morning and everything would be dry again. He touched her arm and she yanked it out of his grasp.

"Don't touch me Malfoy!" she shouted. Draco felt the sting but chose to ignore it. So, she was going to call him Malfoy? Okay, he could play along.

"This is stupid, _Weasley_, I've seen this spell before. You'll drown before the water disappears, which it will, in the morning," he screamed over the roaring water.

He tried to grab her again but she twisted away and ended up slipping and falling into the water which had reached their waists now. She tried to get up but lost her footing again and slipped underneath the water once more. He quickly grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. He ignored the fact one of his hands was on her butt and walked out with her. She was coughing up water as he settled her on her feet, in the hallway. He was soaking wet and brushed his hair back. She was breathing hard, wiping her face with her hand.

"Leave me alone Malfoy, I could have taken care of that," she said, angrily. Draco shook his head, he'd had enough with her. Who did she think she was?

"Oh yeah, because you were handling that so well, Weasley, good one," he snorted. She glared at him.

"Whatever! Just…just stay away from me!" she exclaimed loudly before running off, down the hall. He was angry now, she hadn't even thanked him and why on earth was she always running?

He swore and ran after her, all he could hear was both of their shoes squeaking loudly against the floor. He got close enough to her and grabbed her by her soaking sweater. She lost her balance and fell into his arms. She looked shocked and starred at him for a second before her face contorted into anger and he hoisted her over his shoulder once more. He jogged towards the bathroom. She was punching his back and demanded to be let down.

"Let go of me!" she shouted.

"Gladly," he said as he reached the bathroom and threw her back into the water. The water had reached halfway to the ceiling now. He watched as she swam her way to the top and glared down at him.

"You're insane! What's wrong with you?" she screamed. He glared back at her.

"You, you're what's wrong with me!" he shouted back. She jumped out of the bathroom and sloshed her way towards him. She opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off.

"Next time," he sneered, grabbing her small chin in his hand, forcing her to look up at him, "you should thank someone for helping you." He let go of her and sloshed his way back to his room. He turned around a few times to see if she was following him, but she was probably still standing in the hallway fuming with anger. Draco chucked to himself, wasn't a bad night after all.

—

Ginny woke up fuming. She went to bed angry and woke up angry. She starred at her ceiling and swore. She turned into her pillow and swore once more. All she wanted to do, was go into Draco's room, grab him by his robes and throw him onto the bed. She wanted her body all over his, she wanted him in every way possible. She was actually aching just thinking about it.

Last night was a close one. She remembered the way he looked, soaking wet, having his sweater cling to him. She remembered the way he pushed his hair back, the way he looked at her with that intense stare. The way he had grabbed her and thrown her over his shoulder. She felt hot just thinking about his hands on her thighs and on her butt. She closed her eyes, remembering how he had said her name. There was something completely sensual about someone saying your name like that.

Her body pulsed just at the thought. She swore again into her pillow. She was angry at herself, angry for feeling this way about him. She turned to her side and snuggled into her comforter. She put the comforter under her chin and closed her eyes. She took a couple deep breathes and tried to calm down. Easier said than done. She opened her eyes and starred out the window.

Her engagement ring sparkled in the sunlight and she felt guilt in the pit of her stomach.

"It's just cold feet, it means nothing," she said out loud, as if the ring was judging her. But even as she said it, a small fearful part of her knew that might not be true.

Last night was just a fluke because of Minerva, it was fine. She would simply avoid him at all costs. She would…forget about him. Him? Him who? It was a good start.

She got up, took a quick bath and changed into her flying gear for the day. Her first class was at noon and she wanted to get an early start on the day, get on the pitch and maybe fly around before teaching her class. She checked the mirror and tied her hair into a quick ponytail.

"You can do this," she said to herself, nodded and walked towards the door. She took a deep breathe and noticed no one was in hall. Success! She made her way towards the Great Hall and caught sight of the Neville. She called out to him and he turned.

"Morning Ginny, how'd you sleep?" he asked, yawning.

"Well, I slept really well," she lied, smiling.

"Today's your first lesson right? I think you have my second years before I get them. They're a timid bunch, so you might want to work on that," he said, taking the student entrance into the Hall. Ginny nodded as he continued to talk about the students he felt were exceptional and those who needed work. She was half listening as she approached the table and saw Draco sitting there. He was talking to Professor Trelawney. Well, she was talking to him and he looked like he was in pain. Good, she thought to herself. He happened to look up as she neared the table and she glared at him. He glared back.

"Whoa, you and Draco don't really like each other do you?" said Neville, looking between the two. Ginny sat down and turned her attention to a croissant and the marmalade.

"Malfoy? Yeah you could say that, he's a goblin," she mumbled, covering her croissant in marmalade before chewing viciously. Neville chose some oatmeal and sprinkled some brown sugar on top, before turning to her.

"He's not that bad Ginny. Trust me, I had the same thoughts as you when he first started. But we talk on occasion and the students really like him," he replied.

She doubted Neville had any idea of how she was feeling. As for the students, she looked out at them. Traitors, the lot of them, she thought to herself.

"Might want to calm down, I'm actually afraid for the croissant," he said, hesitantly.

She grinned at Neville—with a mouthful of croissant—who looked genuinely worried for her mental health.

"I'm fine," she said, leaning over him casually to look at Draco. He caught her eye and she gave him the biggest, angriest glare she could muster. Draco gave her a disgusted look and turned back to Trelawney.

"Just fine."

—

Author's Note:

Hello! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1 and 2. I've been reading on this site for years and after seeing some of the amazing work on this site I decided to write my own. Let me know what you think in the reviews below, constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Yes! Go Gryffindor!" she screamed.

The official Quidditch season didn't start till next week, but some of the students begged Ginny to start a pre-season game for any teams interested. No one but Slytherin and Gryffindor wanted to play a game for fun. She never realized how great teaching was, never realized how in love she'd fallen at the idea of inspiring young minds.

She was waiting for them on the pitch and turned when she heard laughter. Both teams were walking and talking, mingling together. Things were different since the war, inter-house hostilities were a lot less than she remembered. It was an interesting sight to say the least. She stood, stunned before calling them over. She saw a familiar frame behind them.

She waved at Neville and her joined her. They walked over to the stands together.

"You must be excited," Neville said, settling down beside her and she nodded.

"I am, aren't you?" she asked. Neville made a face.

"Excited for the game, but Quidditch was never really my thing, well not as much as you," he grinned, shoving her light heartedly. They chatted about their students as the game started and cheered whenever Gryffindor scored.

"We're going to annihilate Slytherin," she replied as she watched them score again.

"Celebrating too soon Weasley," said a voice behind her. They both turned to see Draco walking over towards them, he sat on the other side of Neville. She glared at him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"My students told me about this friendly game, wanted to see how badly they beat Gryffindor," he said, with a raised eyebrow.

"Wrong. We're in the lead right and now, we have been for quite some time now," she said, raising her eyebrow back at him.

"Well, we'll just see about that, won't we Weasley," he sneered.

"We will," she replied, nastily. Neville squirmed between them.

"Come on you two, it's just a friendly game, the players aren't even taking it seriously," he offered, lightly.

"The hell they're not! Kill them!" Ginny screamed to the players. They looked over at her and dragged a finger across her neck, hoping they'd get the message.

"As if we'll ever let these self-righteous Gryffindors win!" screamed Draco. The students looked from one professor to the other and exchanged uncomfortable glances with themselves.

The game continued and the only two people that could be heard from the whole pitch were Draco and Ginny. Both screaming at the other when their team scored. Neville sat in-between them, nervous and sweating. He wasn't used to two professors behaving this way in front of students. The students looked even more distraught.

"Yes! We're ahead and the game is almost over," she taunted Draco. He clenched the muscles in his jaw and refused to look at her. He was focusing on the players, when suddenly Slytherin scored with ten-seconds remaining in the game.

"It's a tie," Neville replied with a sigh of relief. The players exchanged high-fives and hugs. Both teams laughed with each other and began to fly to the ground.

"No! This can't be over, it can't be a tie," she screamed at the players. Draco got up and raced towards the ground and Ginny followed suite with Neville hot on both their heels.

"One more round, just to fix the tie-breaker," said Draco, slightly out of breathe.

"Old man, can't even run down the stairs," she snickered behind his back. He gave her the finger and turned back to the players.

"It's okay, you can go," said Neville. The students nodded gratefully to Neville and made their way out. Ginny called out to them, begged them to come back but to no avail. They continued walking. Neville rolled his eyes.

"If you guys want to win that badly, play yourself," he said tiredly and walked off with the students. Ginny stood there, nonplussed for a second before crossing her arms over her chest and turning to Draco, who was still shouting at Slytherin to come back.

"One on one game, first person to catch the seeker wins," she offered. He narrowed his eyes, looking at her up and down. Ginny could almost feel his touch as he looked at her. She looked around briefly and found no one was there. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Her body was already wanting to get closer to his and she felt as if she didn't get away within ten-seconds, she might be tempted to run her fingers through his hair.

"On second thought, a tie is fine," she squeaked, she stepped around him and quickly walked towards the castle. She felt a tug around her wrist and was whirled around bumping into a chest. She looked up at him, and gulped, her heart racing, her body frozen. Their bodies were now touching.

—

Draco looked down at her and stopped breathing. Maybe pulling her back wasn't the smartest idea. Her cheeks were red, her eyes blazing and her lips moist as she ran her tongue over them. He could feel her breasts pressing to his chest and groaned mentally when he felt her nipples harden through her open sweater. He looked down at her lips and let her go suddenly.

He willed himself to remember how he felt about her family, anything to get his mind off of what he was feeling. She stumbled back and glared at him. Of course, this would have been much easier if he actually hated her, but when she looked at him like that all he could think about was the hot, angry sex they would have if she continued.

"Fine, you okay to fly in those clothes?" he asked. She was wearing jeans, a t-shirt (a thin one, he noticed) and a bulky sweater. He was wearing jeans and a pullover. She nodded and zipped up her sweater, he almost groaned in protest but stopped himself in time. They both _Accio-ed _their brooms and mounted. He watched as she let of the snitch and it whizzed out of sight.

"You suck Malfoy," she hollered at him.

"Right back at ya, Weasley," he replied.

They rode their brooms, screaming insults at each other every two minutes when he noticed she saw the snitch. He watched her dive quickly for and it raced on to follow suite. It whizzed left, she turned left, he turned right trying to keep a distance between her. His gut said it wouldn't be long before the Snitch would head in the opposite direction. He watched as she outstretched her arm and almost wrapped her fingers around it. The Snitch veered to the right sharply and she buckled against the wind hard. He smirked and rose to get the Snitch. He spurred his broom faster and laughed in triumph as had the Snitch within his grasp. He yelped in pleasure and laughed.

"Slytherin wins!" he roared. He watched as she made a disgusted face at him and lowered her broom. He continued.

"Slytherin! The ultimate champion, the ruler of all Snitches, the best Quidditch players —"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" she screamed back and lowered herself on the ground. She got off her broom and he followed suite taunting her as they walked.

"Is little Weasley angry? Is little Weasley realizing she's not the Quidditch player she really thought she was," he laughed. He raced ahead and jogged backwards. Her face was red, her lips pursed, she was angry and Draco was loving every minute of it. He held out the Snitch and slowed down to a walk.

"Come on, get the Snitch," he dangled it in front of her. She growled at him and reached for the Snitch, he pulled back and laughed. She seemed even angrier and he continued to laugh. In all honesty, he wasn't laughing at her anger, he was laughing at how beautiful she looked. Even if it was anger. He did it again and this time she lunged at him. He lost his balance as she toppled on top of him. They both went down like a ton of bricks.

—

Ginny starred down at Malfoy, the second time today they were touching. She watched him wince as his head hit the ground and his eyes stayed close. She tried to ignore how hard and muscular his body was underneath her, how great it felt to by laying on top of him. She wanted nothing more than to rest her head on his shoulder and have his arms come around her.

"Come on Malfoy, this isn't funny," she said slapping his cheek lightly. Bad idea. Her fingers burned and she let her hand rest there for a moment before a bit of panic rose in her chest.

"Malfoy, Malfoy! Open your eyes," she demanded, slapping him a little harder. Still nothing.

"Draco, oh my God, Draco," she pleaded running a hand over his head trying to feel if there was any blood from when his head hit the ground.

"Gotcha," he whispered and opened his eyes to wink at her. She opened her mouth to scream but felt his arms come around her. He squeezed her tighter to him and she shivered against him. She felt one of his hand on her bare back where her sweater had risen up. Her breathing became laboured as he ran his thumb along her lower back. Her whole body was on edge, tingling by being so near him. She looked at him and her breath caught in her throat. His eyes had darkened, he looked just as bothered as she did. Her hand was still on her his cheek, their faces only inches apart.

She didn't mean to, but she licked her lips and she watched his face drawing nearer to hers. She watched his mouth open slightly. She was mesmerized, she couldn't move, all she could think about was having his lips on top of hers. She wanted him, she wanted him bad. He squeezed a little tighter and she leaned in.

"Excuse me," said a voice above her. They both sprang from each other and scrambled to get up. Minerva stood there with a scowl on her face. "My office, now."

—

Draco sat in Minerva's office with Ginny beside him, wringing her hands. Apparently news of their rivalry from the Quidditch match had gotten back to her. He had mostly zoned out of what she was saying, something about teamwork and inter-house relations. He couldn't get his mind off of what had happened earlier. He faked the hurt just to have her fret over him, just to have her stay on top of him a moment longer so he could savour the moment.

There was something off about the way she looked at him. He sensed the desire from her. She wanted him. The way she looked at him not an ounce of anger, but pure want. Her eyes darkened, her breathing laboured and when he touched her he could sworn her eyes almost rolled back with pleasure. And his name! He wanted to groan. The way she said his name, he wanted her to say it again, only next time he wanted to have her naked in his bed, screaming his name. The fantasy played in his head, over and over again.

He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, she looked worried now. He smirked to himself, Minera wouldn't fire either of them but she didn't know that.

"Isn't that right Draco?" said Minerva. Draco looked at her at the sound of his name. He nodded, furrowing his brow, trying to remember what she was saying.

"Of course, yes Minerva, inter-house relations are very important," he said, clearing his throat.

"I'm glad you think so, and your punishment is only fair," she continued, smiling at him. He looked from Minerva to Ginny and winced.

"What punishment would that be?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. Minerva looked like she wanted to hit him over the head with a heavy object but she sighed instead.

"I want you and Ginny to teach the students to dance for the Annual Christmas Ball," she replied. He starred at her.

"Dance? But I can't —"

"I've seen you dance, Mr. Malfoy, you are doing this. Besides, none of the other professors wanted to do this, so I suspect December will be a very busy time for you both," she said, raising her eyebrow.

They left his office and Ginny whirled down the stairs at top-speed, trying to get away from him, he suspected. He jogged after her.

"Hey, we need to talk about these classes —" She whirled around eyes blazing.

"No Malfoy, we don't. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it and do me a favour. Leave me the hell alone until I'm forced to spend time with you. Great? Thanks," she finished her speech and walked off in a huff.

He blinked. Hot and cold. Bloody hell, he couldn't get a reading on that girl. He sighed, whatever had happened earlier clearly wasn't real. He had wanted her so badly that he imagined her wanting him back. He swore. He needed to stay the hell away from her.

—

Ginny was shaking as she opened her door and rushed in. She locked the door and tried to shake out her hands. She almost kissed Draco Malfoy. A part of her was angry, how could she let herself get caught up with Draco again. She had just promised herself the other night, she would focus on teaching, on herself and be true to Harry. She sighed throwing her head back in mental agony.

She jumped at the sound of a knock at the door. She yanked it open to find Luna Lovegood. Her eyes grew wide and she let out a squeal.

"Luna!" she laughed as she launched herself into her best friend's arms. Luna hugged her back tighter.

"It's good to see you Ginny," she said in her sing song voice. Ginny ushered her in but Luna tugged her outside.

"I invited Neville to come to Hogsmeade with us, do you need to change or can you come like this?" she asked. Ginny waved at Neville who walked over.

"Yeah I can come like this, oh my God, it's so nice to see you. Tell me everything," she said, as she shut her door and followed the two down the stairs.

Luna was just finishing her story about the Loch Ness monster when they reached a very crowded Three Broomsticks. Neville decided to get them drinks as they found a table near the back.

"It's been so long, too long," Ginny commented.

"I've asked Minerva if I can teach a writing class here at Hogwarts, she said she'd be delighted. Of course, it won't be a mandatory class, so I'll only be teaching if students want to learn," she replied, smiling. Luna was currently wearing a hat with horns, a shirt that seemed to be glow in the dark and dark black pants that looked normal. Ginny suspected the pants also did something, but she didn't want to find out.

"That's great, it's going to be so much fun with all of us —" She stopped midway as she noticed Neville bringing drinks to the table, accompanied by a familiar face.

"Surprise!" said Neville, smiling. Ginny grinned weakly and got up.

"Surprise to so me?" asked Harry. Ginny nodded, as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and a side hug. He was wearing a sweater with a letter "H" on it, probably the sweater her mother had sewn for him last Christmas. He was always so good with pleasing her parents, another good thing about Harry. He sat down next to her and put an arm at the back of her chair. She sipped at her drink, not in the mood to party anymore.

"So, how's teaching going?" asked Harry, playfully tugging at her ponytail. She moved her hair to the opposite side and shrugged.

"It's fine really, I mean, I like it if that's what you mean," she said, starring at her drink. Harry was a good guy, he really was, so why was she feeling like she wanted to run out of the pub? She just needed some time, some time to herself, to be free and wander. Her feelings would be back to normal in no time, but it didn't help that Harry didn't understand the meaning of space.

"Yeah, the students like you. Well, now they're mostly scared of you," Neville laughed, biting into some bread. She looked up at Neville, confused. "You know, the whole thing with you and Draco."

She froze. As much as she loved Neville, she wanted nothing more than to strangle him at this moment. Why on earth would he bring up Draco?

"What's that?" asked Harry, sitting up a little straighter.

"Oh nothing, we don't get along," Ginny replied, hastily.

"Yeah, you should've seen them during a friendly Quidditch game between Slytherin and Gryffindor. They were going to tear each other apart," said Neville. Ginny wished with all her might that Neville would suddenly choke on his drink and die. Okay, maybe not die, but be hurt enough to stop talking.

"That sounds about right," Harry chuckled. At least Harry was buying it.

"I heard you got called to Minerva's office?" Neville asked. Is there no mercy in this world, she thought. Is there no way for Neville to just fall off his chair? Where was the justice? Luna laughed.

"That doesn't sound very good," she replied, nudging her. Ginny looked over at her and Luna winked back. Ginny looked at her like she had grown a third head. Ginny looked away, there was no way Luna knew anything. Of course, Luna did have a way of knowing things… No, no, no. Not this. Ginny waved a hand.

"Nothing, she just said we have to think about inter-house relations, set a better example," she lied. Well, she wasn't really lying, Minerva did say that. She just left out the other part. There was no point in telling Harry because there wasn't anything to tell. Ginny excused herself to go to the bathroom and Luna followed suit.

"So, you lied to Harry," said Luna, fixing her hair in the mirror. Ginny looked over at her, shocked.

"No I didn't," she replied.

"Ginny…"

"How on earth can you know that?" she asked, irritated.

"It's the pants," Luna replied with a large smile. Of bloody course.

"The pants?" she repeated.

"It allows me to feel whatever the person closest to me is feeling. When Neville mentioned Draco I had a rush of, ooh, I don't even know what, but it was exciting," she said, winking. Ginny starred for a second, quiet before she blurted out everything. Luna listened without interrupting her and Ginny sighed.

"So, that's where I am," she finished.

"Maybe, what you're feeling is there for a reason," Luna said. Ginny shook her head.

"No, no, no. I'm going to marry Harry. My parents love him, Ron loves him, hell he loves me," she said. Walking over towards the door.

"Yeah, but do you love him?" Luna called after her. Ginny ignored the question, not knowing how to answer.

—

Draco was making his way out of Hogsmeade when he noticed Potter walk out of The Three Broomsticks. Followed by him were Ginny, Neville and that Lovegood girl. He watched as he saw Harry kiss Ginny briefly before heading off into the opposite direction. Draco ignored the small bout of jealousy that lit up in his heart. Neville put Ginny's arm around his neck and Luna did the same. Seemed like Ginny had had too much to drink. He sighed and walked over to them.

"Draco!" exclaimed Luna, upon seeing him. He tried not to grimace while looking at her outfit and nodded.

"Hello, Luna is it?" he asked, politely. Look at me now, father, he wanted to shout to the Heavens.

"Great, could you do me a favour and help carry Ginny, please?" she asked. Draco hesitated for a moment before taking Ginny's arm and putting it across his shoulder. Luna walked in front of them, chatting on about some sort of sea monster, while Neville struggled to keep up. The height difference was making it hard. Draco stopped.

"Hand her over to me Neville, I'll carry her, you look a little bit tipsy yourself," he remarked as Neville almost tripped over his own shoes. Neville nodded and patted him on the back as Draco hoisted Ginny into his arms. Luna ran off towards the castle and Neville stayed back making idle chit chat with Draco.

"We surprised Ginny today," slurred Neville.

"Oh yeah? How was that?" asked Draco.

"I'm not sure if she liked it," Neville frowned deeply. "We invited Harry to see her, along with Luna."

"Well, she likes both those people," Draco admitted bitterly.

"I know, but Harry…" Neville stopped and hiccoughed. Draco stopped starring at Neville.

"What about Potter?"

Neville continued walking. "Dunno, she didn't seem as excited as I thought she would be."

Draco followed Neville, his heart feeling lighter than air. There was justice. Ginny wasn't excited to see Potter. Okay, so she wasn't exactly excited to see him either, but still, it made him happy.

He heard her mumbling against his chest and nodded Neville goodbye as he made his way to Ginny's room. She was snuggled against his chest and he had to admit, he didn't want to let her go. He wanted to hold her just a little longer.

He took his time trying to find her wand and opened her room. She whispered something against his chest and snuggled into him. He squeezed tighter and rocked her a little while he shut the door. He heard her sigh and smiled to himself. He walked over to the bed and laid her down gently. He took off her shoes and her sweater.

He starred down at her sleeping. She looked peaceful and so adorable. Draco's chest was bursting just at the sight of her. He blinked and looked away, he saw her pyjamas hanging at the back of her door. He wondered how creepy it would be if he changed her. No… too creepy. He had a feeling her jeans were't the most comfortable though.

He took a deep breath, unbuttoned her jeans and she sighed instantly. He rolled his eyes. He put the comforter over her and tucked her in.

He looked at her and wanted nothing more than to slide in next to her, but he couldn't. He got up and made his way to the door. She was engaged, even if she didn't like seeing Potter, she could have had a fight with him, no relationship was perfect.

Besides, she hated him, she despised him, she fought with him — he was opening the door as he heard her whisper something.

"Draco," she murmured against her pillow. He froze. He turned around and starred at her, she smiled in her sleep. She didn't smirk, she didn't even grin evilly, it was a genuine smile. He shut the door quietly and quickly. He stepped out. Maybe he hadn't dreamt about what happened earlier at the Quidditch pitch. Either way, he had to find out.

—

Author's note:

Let me know what you thought of this chapter in the reviews! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

December was fast approaching and Ginny had done a very good job of avoiding Draco. Ever since the night he'd heard her utter his name, he tried to get her alone (it sounded creepier than he intended but he didn't have any ill intentions). It wasn't easy, she was either with Luna or Neville, or if she did spot him coming down the hall he saw her duck back and practically run in the opposite direction. It was becoming very childish, but Draco decided to wait her out, beside today was the first day of December, meaning Ginny would be spending the next four weeks with him teaching the upper year students how to ballroom dance.

He caught her eye as she walked into the Great Hall and gave her a smirk.

—

Ginny looked away quickly and saw Luna looking over at Draco as they sat down to eat.

"He's looking at you," Luna whispered, trying to act nonchalant as she grabbed a pastry. Ginny resisted the urge to look over at him. This was worse than being back in school, it was like everyone was back in first year again.

Luna was sporting a maroon look from head to toe, matching very well with the jam on the table.

Ginny leaned into her, "I know," she whispered back sarcastically and went back to viciously attacking her breakfast. Neville quickly shovelled some eggs into his mouth before drinking some milk.

"In a hurry, Nev?" asked Luna, slowly eating her pastry. He nodded.

"Mandragora today, I better go check on them," he barely finished his sentence before he bolted from the Hall. He managed to run over a few first year Gryffindor students on his way out. Ginny starred after him.

"Do you want me to check if he's still looking?" asked Luna, innocently. Ginny turned to her and rolled her eyes.

"No, this is ridiculous. I think he's stalking me. What's worse is he's always smirking when he sees me, like he knows something I don't," she replied, stabbing her pancakes.

"I doubt he's stalking you, it's not a huge castle. Maybe he's laughing at your horrible attempts at avoiding him," she mused.

"Who's side are you on anyway?" asked Ginny, grabbing some brown sugar from her side of the table. Luna moved back and put her hands in the air.

"I'm on your side, obviously," she said, sounding hurt.

"I'm sorry," Ginny sighed, putting down her fork and bowl. "It's just weird, ever since that night in the Sticks, he's been acting different. I don't know if I said something? I'm worried."

"You were too out of it to say anything, trust me," Luna emphasized.

"I guess and we're meeting today, after weeks, to teach those students to dance," Ginny grumbled. Luna clapped her hands together.

"Oh, this will be so exciting! Ginny and Draco the early years…" she trailed off wistfully. Ginny turned to her, brow furrowed.

"Why are you so sure about us?" she asked.

"Because," Luna smiled, "You don't see the sparks like I do."

Ginny doubted anyone saw the sparks like Luna did.

—

Draco watched as some of the fifth year students walked in. The Annual Christmas Ball was held every year since Minerva became headmistress. She decided every holiday was now something to celebrate. Only, she wanted everyone to celebrate her way, which meant Balls and dancing.

He had combed his hair and let it loose around his neck. He'd also worn a t-shirt and jeans, trying to be as comfortable as possible. Ginny still wasn't here. His heartbeat was already high in anticipation. He leaned against a table and starred at everything but the door. Each time he would look up, it was just another student. He looked up at the clock and noticed that she was going to be late if she didn't show up soon. He starred out the window, waiting.

He felt her come before he even looked, the air had changed, every cell in his body buzzed. He took a deep breath and looked up. Everything was in slow motion. She had her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a pair of jeans and a green long sleeve tee. He couldn't help but smirk. Gosh, she was beautiful. She looked around and smiled at some students. His heart leapt into his throat. She looked over at him and her brown eyes collided with his.

—

Grey eyes. He looked intense. Actually, he looked beyond handsome, standing there casually waiting for her. Was he waiting for her? Or was he annoyed that she was almost late? She couldn't tell she could just see the dimple in his cheek when he smirked. She could see the curve of his nose, the straight line of his jaw and some stubble. Her mouth went dry. How on earth was she going to last two hours of practise with him?

She walked over and came to stand before him. She put her hands in her pockets and rocked on her heels.

"So…" she said. He ignored her and crossed his arms over his chest and got up. He addressed the class and split the group into two. Everyone lined up. Draco looked back at her.

"Professor Weasley and I will demonstrate how the opening dance will go. Watch us for what is acceptable procedure. I'm told there was some issues with dancers last year and something called twerking. That will not be allowed," he emphasized. Ginny scrunched her nose, she'd also heard many of the students got a little rowdy last year.

"Now, stand in front of your partner," he instructed. Ginny stood in front of Draco and kept an eye on the other students, trying to ignore his nearness.

"Great. One person will lead, the other will follow. I will lead and Professor Weasley will follow. Stand in position and watch us first," he instructed.

Draco then placed a hand on her waist, she felt a shock of electricity course through her body at his touch. He lifted his other hand and she raised her to meet his. She tried to listen to what he was saying, but he stepped closer and she could feel the heat from his body. She could smell his cologne. She could feel his hand on her, it was scorching her skin.

She had danced before, so she followed along easily and he let the students practise on their own after a few minutes. But he didn't let her go and stepped even closer. He bent down and she had to suppress the urge to shiver.

"You know what you're doing," he commented. She pulled back to look him in the eyes.

"Of course I do, did you think because I was too poor as a child, I wouldn't be able to?" she countered. He raised his eyebrow.

"Merely commenting at the fact that I endured every Malfoy Ball and I've yet to dance with someone with your grace," he whispered the last part in her ear. This time a tiny shiver did run down her spine. She heard him chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she asked, looking past his shoulder, refusing to make eye contact. Nothing innocent would come of it.

"Just thinking, you can't run away now," he said. She furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean?" she asked, ignoring how his breath fanned over her exposed neck as she spoke. She suddenly wished she had worn a scarf.

"Come on, Weasley, you've been avoiding me, running in the opposite direction for weeks now," he said. Ginny gulped. He knew.

"You're fooling yourself, I haven't done any such thing," she lied, still dancing with him. He clicked his tongue.

"That's what I thought. So I thought I'd try a little experiment today. To see if, how you say, I'm fooling myself," he murmured against her ear.

"Experiment?" she said, slightly more breathy than she intended.

"Mmm, yes," he said. "It hadn't occurred to me until just now, when you shivered," he said. Ginny didn't like where this was heading.

"I'm engaged Malfoy," she said, half of her wanting this to end while the other half roared with excitement.

"Oh, I know, I didn't ask _you _to do anything," he said. She felt his hand travel lower and he slipped it under her shirt. He touched her softy, rubbing her hip and making small circles with his thumn. His hand went higher and she sucked in a breath sharply.

"The students," was all she could get out.

"They can't see," he replied, continuing touching her. When his fingers got even closer to her breasts she found her voice.

"Malfoy…" she warned. He dropped his hand and looked at her.

—

Her eyes were glazed over, her lips parted. Just touching her evoked such a strong response from both of them he wondered what would happen if they did more.

He had slept with enough women to know she liked it. Interesting.

"What's interesting?" she asked. He hadn't realized he'd spoken out loud.

"Your response to me touching you," he replied.

"What response?" she asked. He didn't bother replying and instead moved in closer, he bent his head and skimmed her ear with his lips. He could practically feel her melting against him.

"That response," he whispered again. He became so bold he decided to graze his teeth lightly against neck. He heard her gasp and she jumped back out of his embrace. She was glaring at him, well she was trying, but it looked more like a smouldering gaze than a glaring one. His heart leapt into his throat. He wanted to shout. Her reaction! Her reaction was that of someone that didn't hated him. Her cheeks were red, her mouth parted.

"We're done here," she said, and whirled away. Draco jogged after her and grabbed her by the wrist. He whirled her around. She collided into his chest. They were alone in the hallway. He watched her freeze. He grabbed her ponytail and lightly tugged the hair tie out. He watched it cascade over her shoulders and winked.

"Weasley," he said, before turning around and walking into the classroom. Draco looked over at the students and noticed they were all busy making goggly eyes with each other. He rolled his eyes. Teenagers!

He laughed, he couldn't help it. He was going to have some fun now.

—

Ginny regretted telling Luna instantly because Luna decided to clap happily. Ginny had successfully ignored Draco for the remainder of the day and tried not to think about how he knew. He knew something was up with her.

"What do you mean you think? Of course he knows," said Luna, shaking her head. She was sitting on the edge of Ginny's bed in her snitch pyjamas eating some cookies. Ginny grabbed a chocolate chip one and shook her head.

"Why did my body betray me," she groaned.

"More importantly, what's going to happen now?" Luna wondered. Ginny almost choked on her cookie. She swallowed and shook her head.

"Nothing Luna, that's just it, nothing is going to happen!" she stressed. Or at least Ginny hoped.

—

She woke up the next mooring and sighed. At least she didn't have practise today. She didn't have any classes today and decided to check out Hagrid's class after breakfast for some entertainment.

She walked into the Great Hall and noticed Draco wasn't there. She was relieved and ate her breakfast in peace. Luna had wanted to sleep in and Neville was also no where to be seen. She ate some oatmeal and was feeling pretty confident as she strode out to meet Hagrid.

He was waiting for her at the front entrance and smiled when he saw her.

"Excited to come to my classes again, Professor Weasley," he said, winking.

"I loved your classes Hagrid," she grinned back. They walked towards the ground and Ginny saw what he had planned. She gasped as she saw the Hippogriff. She was instantly flooded with emotions of when she was in school. She missed it, she missed being a student and a longing she didn't realize existed settled into her heart.

"Oh Hagrid, he's beautiful," she squealed and rushed past him towards it. Ginny slowed as she neared the animal. She bowed, and watched as he bowed back. She grinned and felt his beak. He seemed very calm, at ease.

"Isn't he a beaut? He's related to a friend," said Hagrid. Ginny turned around and her eyes went wide.

"Buckbeak's —"

"—Son," Hagrid finished for her. Ginny laughed.

"I didn't know you were breeding hippogriffs," she said. Hagrid looked around.

"Don't tell anyone, Professor McGonagall doesn't want too many magical creatures running around but everyone deserves a family, Ginny," he said soberly. Ginny shook her head.

"I won't tell Hagrid, don't worry, oh, he's so pretty," she said as the hippogriff leaned into to nuzzle her neck. Hagrid practically had to pry her away from the creature as his students started filing in for class.

Ginny sighed and stepped back, watching him teach, leaning against a tree. She was so lost in Hagrid's class that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her. She didn't realize someone was there until she felt a chest press into her back.

"Wotcher Weasley," Draco whispered in her ear. Ginny jumped and yelped. She was too far for the students to hear and turned to glare at Draco. Bad move. He looked exceptionally cute in his navy sweater. She turned her back to him and tried to focus on Hagrid.

"Go away Malfoy," she replied, trying to ignore him, crossing her arms over her chest. She heard him sigh.

"I remember when Hagrid taught us about hippogriffs," he said.

"Yeah, I heard you were a jerk," she said.

"I was. Would you believe me if I told you I wasn't like that anymore?" he asked. Ginny stilled. Why would he care what she thought?

"No," she replied. She went still as she felt him grab her ponytail and move it over her shoulder. She barely had time to react when she felt his lips on her neck. Her body sighed. He slipped an arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck.

She was on fire, just him being near, she could feel moistness settling between her legs. Something in her stomach coiled. He slipped a hand under her sweater and lightly traced her skin.

"Malfoy…what're you doing," she asked, barely getting it out.

"Nothing," he said, stepping back. She felt colder instantly and turned around. He was playing games.

"Don't do that," she said, breathing hard.

"Do what?" he asked, shrugging.

"It's not funny, Malfoy," she said.

"Make me," he argued narrowing his eyes. She stormed past him and turned to see he was following. She wanted to be out of earshot from the class.

"Malfoy, I don't know what you think, but what you did…" she trailed off trying to find the right words.

"You liked it," he said, stepping closer. She stepped back. She did, she really did. She was sad it ended. But she wouldn't admit it to him.

"Aren't you married?" she asked, trying to distract him, stepping back as he took another step.

"Divorced," he replied. "If you really didn't like it and want me to stop. Say it. Looking me in the eye and say it, Weasley."

Ginny backed up against the castle walls. He was close, very close. She looked up at him.

"Just leave…" she said, not meaning it, looking past him. He stepped closer. She wanted to jump into his arms but she fisted her hands.

"No, say it like you mean it," he said.

He grabbed her by the waist and drew her closer to him, he touched her cheek with his other hand and starred at her lips. Ginny was pressed against his front, her mind going crazy. She wanted their lips to touch. She moved her hands to the front of his sweater as he lowered his mouth. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was on autopilot, feeling, not thinking.

Suddenly he pushed back and Ginny snapped her eyes open. He smirked.

"Very convincing of your hatred of me, Weasley, might want to work on that," he winked and walked away.

Ginny stood there, shocked. Her legs barely able to work. He had played her.

—

The next few nights did not go well for Ginny. It seemed like the encounter with Draco that got her mind racing about what would have happened if he hadn't stepped away. If he kissed her, touched her. She groaned in agony every time she thought about it.

As if that weren't enough. He was popping up everywhere she went. He would get too close during dance practise (not that she minded at all, really, if she was being honest). He would torture her with little caresses and touches throughout the days. It got to the point where she now looked forward for when he would walk by and he would whisper in her ear. He would skim his lips along her neck if she were ever sitting alone. He would find ways to walk down the hall with her, touching the small of her back. He would accidentally bump into her, and grab her to steady her. He would smile at her, no scowling, no hate. He found a new game.

He was torturing her. Small ways that made her nipples harden in anticipation. He was driving her crazy. She hated herself for not stopping him. She told herself it was harmless. She told herself she was trying to act aloof, as if it didn't bother her, maybe her lack of reaction would make him stop. That's what she told herself. But she knew otherwise. She knew why she found herself alone more than before. She found herself on edge waiting for him to find her, to do something, anything and all she wanted to do was turn around and shove him into a broom closet. The sexual tension was getting to an all time high now.

There was a few days left till Christmas and Ginny decided to go into Hogsmeade for some shopping. She went alone. Luna, who had already knew what was going on, refused to go with her and Ginny was secretly excited. She didn't think Draco was stalking her, he didn't always find her. But she liked when he did.

She looked around as she shopped, hoping to catch sight of a blonde head. No avail. She almost lost hope as she stood outside of a shop looking at a chocolate display. She was busy starring at what flavour she wanted when she felt a light kiss on her neck. She turned in excitement and her smile faltered.

"Harry, how nice to see you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:**

**Hello! I just want to stay, thank you to those people who take the time to review, follow or favourite. It's a really nice feeling to see that people actually want to read what you write. It really encourages the writer to stay up late (as I am now) and finish another chapter for everyone to enjoy. Just an update… rating has changed to M. **

Chapter 5

"Harry, what're you doing here?" she asked, shocked. She smiled awkwardly as he threw an arm around her and grinned. He was looking the same as he always did, messy brown hair, a cheeky grin. He was wearing dark jeans, boots and a black peacoat she had gotten him two years ago for Christmas. The weight of his arm felt heavy on her shoulders. He kissed the side of her head and squeezed her as they walked back towards Hogwarts. He suddenly stopped and turned back, still holding her.

"You don't need anything else do you?" he asked, pointing to the store she was just at. She shook her head and waved her gloved hand.

"No, it's okay we can go back. Luna and Neville will be excited to see you," she said, looking at the road ahead of them. She could feel Harry's green eyes on her, but she refused to look his way.

"I missed you," he whispered, still assessing her. She briefly looked at him, nodding silently. He sighed.

"I can understand why you came to work here, but it's hard not seeing you everyday," he said, turning his gaze towards the road. It was Ginny's turn to look up at him and a wave of guilt washed over her. Harry was a good guy. He treated her well. He was a bit needy, but he'd lost his whole family. She was all he had. He had saved her life, she owed him her life.

She watched as a snowflake landed on his cheek and he wiped it off.

Her thoughts were in turmoil. Her parents loved him. Hell, everyone loved him. He was the boy who lived…again. She could feel the tears prickling at her eyes. She'd known Harry her whole life. Of course he was the one for her. How could she even doubt that? She turned away and sniffed, blinking, trying not to cry. Harry looked over and did a double take.

"Hey, hey, Ginny, what's wrong?" he stopped and pulled her tight against him. She felt the warmth of his body and the strong muscles of his chest. How could she tell him what was wrong? She wouldn't. This was her problem. A few tears ran down her cheek. She peeked a look at him and he looked down at her worried. In that moment, she knew, she couldn't hurt Harry. Not the with the way he was looking at her now.

"You've been really good to me, Harry," she said, smiling through her tears. His face softened and he took off his gloves to hold her cheek and wipe her tears.

"Ginny, you're more than I could ever deserve," he replied, softly, looking at her in the eye. She could practically hear her heart ripping at those words. How could she be here, playing with Draco, when Harry was out there, thinking of her, loving her? He laughed softly and cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows raised.

"No more crying okay? I've got some good news. I'm staying for the Christmas Ball and I need to talk to you about something," he replied and kissed her softly. Kissing Harry was nothing like being near Draco. At one point, long ago, his kisses made her heart skip a beat, but his lips felt soft and cold on hers now.

They started walking and he drew her to his side again, rubbing her arm.

"I was wondering, what do you think about pushing up the wedding?" he asked. She looked up at him, mouth agape.

"How…how soon?" she asked, trying to collect herself. She blinked at him. He made a face.

"Well…what about March? I mean your mother said she just needs two months to finish planning everything. I just don't know why we're waiting. I know you want the perfect wedding. Which is why I suggested we get married here," he finished, as they reached Hogwarts. Ginny was confused and she looked around.

"Here? Like Hogwarts here?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded, grinning, stepping away from her and opening his arms wide.

"Come on, we love this place. It's where my parents met. I've had some of my best memories here. Sure, we have some dark memories too, but all the more reason to get married here. I've asked Professor McGonagall, she's agreed," he said, pointing excitedly around. Ginny nodded, dumbly, taking a moment to absorb everything he was saying.

"You asked Minerva?" she squeaked, still rooted in shock. Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"She thought it was amazing!" he said.

Ginny stood there as he talked and didn't hear footsteps come up behind them.

"You seem excited, Potter," said Draco. Ginny whirled around, and locked eyes with Draco. He was wearing a navy coat, jeans and boots. He had a grey scarf tied around his neck, bringing out the colour of his even more, his blonde hair in disarray. He looked magnificent. Ginny's palms were getting sweaty in her gloves. Mostly because Draco was here, but also because, Harry was here. Draco and Harry. Here. In front of her. Both of them. She felt as if she was about to faint.

Harry stopped whirling around and shrugged as he came to shake Draco's hand. They weren't the best of friends, but Harry could seldom hate anyone. It was so strange for her to see them together.

"Just talking about the wedding, we're thinking of having it at Hogwarts," said Harry, pointing towards the lake. Draco looked past him and bore his intense gaze into her. She felt every part of her body heat up. She gulped, trying to ignore how her heart sped up every time he looked at her. Her stomach knotted over and over again every time he did.

"Are we now, well congratulations," he said, still not taking his eyes off of her. She looked away towards the ground, not able to look at him longer. It was as if he was trying to talk to her through his gaze. What did he want to say? Harry's smile faltered as looked between the two and stopped talking.

"Thanks, we're heading in now, we'll see you later," he said, after a moment and put an arm around Ginny as they began to walk away.

"Sure, see you around," said Draco after them. Ginny stole a sideways glance at Draco and noticed he was still looking at her intensely, this time, his brow furrowed. She looked away and followed Harry, all the way feeling his stare.

—

"Oh my God, then what happened?" asked Luna, mouth hanging open. Ginny had left Harry asleep in her room and met Luna to discuss what had happened earlier.

"We just left! Draco was acting really weird, he just kept staring at me like he wanted to say anything. It was so strange Luna," she said, burrowing her face into Luna's comforter. She sighed and looked up at Luna, who was wearing her pyjamas. Luna's room was a lot different from hers. For one, there were books everywhere, quilts and strange looking knick-knacks. Ginny was always afraid of touching something.

"I'm just glad you didn't say Draco when Harry kissed you," said Luna, shaking her head. Ginny's eyes bugged out.

"Don't even joke about that," she groaned.

"Ginny. You probably don't want my advice. You know what I'm going to say. You need to choose one," she said, seriously. Ginny looked away.

"I did. I chose Harry," she said, starring out the window. She could practically feel Luna rolling her eyes from the other side of the bed.

"Come on, humour me for a minute, let's say you pick Draco, what would be so bad?" she asked.

"Well," said Ginny, getting up and pacing the floor in front of the Luna's bed. "Harry's heart would be broken. Now, keep in mind, he saved my life, he saved Ron's life. My parents love him. He loves me and after losing his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore and Snape, he would lose me? Luna, he would die."

Luna scrunched her nose, "First off. It seems like you're only with him because you owe him. Ginny, don't you think he deserves someone who loves him with all their heart? Second, no offence, but breaking up with you won't kill him. He's been through a lot and survived, he'll survive this."

Ginny shook her head, "I don't want him to feel the pain, Luna."

Luna sighed and nodded. "Life used to be simpler."

Ginny couldn't agree more.

—

Ginny struggled with the buttons on the back of her dress and sighed, turning to Luna who was busy doing her hair.

"Can you help me out with these buttons?" she asked. Luna looked at her through a curtain of her own hair and nodded as she made another curl. She walked over and smiled.

"Grey is your colour, Ginny," she said in her usual wistful voice.

The dark grey dress was a sleeveless floor length dress, there was silver diamond clusters around her shoulders and circling her waist. She had to admit, it was a great colour on her, which wasn't always easy to say with her hair colour.

There was a small voice at the back of her head, taunting her, letting her know it knew why she chose this colour, but she ignored it. She had her hair tied up in an elegant bun a few pieces of hair framing her face.

There was a knock at the door and Ginny opened it to find Harry and Neville. Neville was wearing dark purple dress robes, while Harry opted for a more sleek black. They both beamed at her.

"You look amazing Ginny," Neville said, mouth agape. Harry playfully elbowed him in the ribs and extended his elbow for Ginny to hold on to. She took it gracefully and looked back at Luna.

"Go, go it's okay. I'm almost done. Neville and I will join you in the Hall," she said waving her hand.

Harry was telling Ginny all about the latest cases he was working on with Ron, as they entered the Great Hall. Minerva had outdone herself. Ginny gasped. The Hall was decorated as if it were a winter wonder land. Gold, green and red streaked the Hall as ascents of white and magical snow littered the walls, window sills and near the tables. Harry whistled.

"Maybe we should get Professor McGonagall to plan our wedding," he joked. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"She'd be more than likely," she said. They chose a table at the far back and had only sat a minute when Minerva came rushing towards her.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you," she said. "I need her to come with me, Potter. You can have her during the dance."

Ginny looked helplessly at Harry, who playfully waved to her as Minerva bustled her towards the front of the Hall.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Minerva looked at her sideways.

"I know how hard you and Draco have been working with the students. I wanted you to sit with Draco and lead the first dance. It won't be for a while, I have my opening speech, Hagrid said he wanted to say something special as well. We've got the choir singing after Hagrid's speech. Then there's the magical light show done by the seventh year students. They wanted to do something for their last Ball, so who was I to stop them? Finally, you and Draco will lead us into the dance and the rest of the students will follow." Minerva was winded by the time they reached the tables.

The staff table was removed and was converted into smaller tables for two. Ginny bit her lip. She sat down at the one Minerva gestured to and looked up to see that Neville and Luna had joined Harry. She saw as Harry pointed towards the front and she waved at them.

"Who're you waving at, Weasley?" said a voice to her right. She turned and watched as Draco pulled his chair out and sat down. He was wearing black and grey dress robes. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him. He had tamed his hair by tying it into a low ponytail. He smirked at her.

"Minerva force you here?" she asked a little too breathlessly.

"She was very insistent that I sit here with you," he said. He looked at her, letting his eyes trail slowly down her face, her shoulders, her chest, lower and lower. He dragged his gaze slowly back up and locked his gaze to hers.

"Can't say I can dispute the colour choice, Weasley," he drawled, nodding. Ginny blushed becoming flustered. It was hard not to be affected with Draco sitting so close to her.

"I tried not to hold it against the dress, it was very nice otherwise," she said, making a face before looking out towards where Harry was. Draco followed her gaze and rested his elbows on the table. She could practically feel the heat coming off of him.

"Miss Potter?" he asked. Ginny ignored him and kept her gaze focused on Luna, Neville and Harry.

"Fine, don't talk. We can just sit here for the next hour in silence," he concluded. She shrugged, not meeting his eyes.

Twenty minutes into Minerva's speech she regretted it. She was itching to talk to him. She looked over at him. He had his gaze locked on the back of Minerva's head. She opened her mouth to say something but shut it and turned back to the crowd. She tried again after a few minutes but just felt herself getting more nervous. She mentally groaned, she needed to go back to hating him.

"This is a lot like the parties I had as a child," he yawned. Ginny turned to him, rolling her eyes, trying to look like she didn't care about talking to him.

"Right. Woe as me, I was so rich, I had to endure too many parties," she replied, shaking her head. Her heart sped up with excitement as she felt his has hand near her thigh. He picked at her dress and let the material slip from his fingers. She looked at his fingers and wondered how they would feel sliding over her skin. The sexy images didn't stop there. She had to mentally slap herself to bring herself back to reality.

"Try almost every weekend. It was a horrid affair. The kids weren't sent to a play room. We had to sit there, with the adults and behave ourselves," he sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"I guess that does sort of suck. I mean my childhood was mostly wearing Ron's hand me downs," she said, turning away. She heard him laugh and her head snapped back. She had made Draco laugh. She had never heard a better laugh. Suddenly a strong urge to keep him laughing took hold of her.

"Maybe that does suck more," he said, looking at her.

"You think that's bad? My mother would send these horrible jumpers for us every Christmas. I'm pretty sure I'm getting one today," she laughed.

"I remember those!" he laughed.

"Right? Hideous! I couldn't wear anything else because they happened to be the warmest clothing I ever owned. She never let me go without packing those sweaters," she rolled her eyes.

Draco didn't laugh, he smiled at her.

"It must be nice, having your mom fuss over you like that," he said, quietly. Ginny felt mortified.

"I'm so sorry, you're parents —" Draco waved a hand.

"It's okay, Weasley. It just reminded me of my own mother. You know, she wasn't the monster everyone thought she was. She was a good mother. When she fell in love with my father, she was just shoved into a world she didn't want," he said, looking out at the students, lost in thought.

"I'm still sorry," she whispered to herself more than him.

"Actually, I should probably apologize to you," he replied. Ginny looked at him, shocked. There must have been faerie dust in the air, was this really happening?

"For what?" she said, confused.

"The whole diary fiasco," he mumbled, moving a little closer to her.

"That wasn't your fault —"

"No. It was. I'd found the diary first. When my father discovered what had happened, he pawned it off to you," he said. Ginny sat there stunned. His father had tried to save his own son, by ruining the life of another. Her life.

"It's fine, I'm alive," she whispered. He looked at her and it was as if she was punched in the gut. The expression on his face was so full of pain, she longed to move closer, hold him, make it go away.

"You know," she breathed. "I'm glad it happened." She watched as Draco's eyebrows shot up. "I mean it was this horrible thing that happened at the time. But it… made me stronger. I survived. It made me fearless in a way."

"You should be thanking me," he said, smirking. She swatted his arm playfully and felt herself grow red as she could feel the hardness of his arm underneath her hand.

"Do you remember that one year —" He broke off and looked around.

"That one year what?" she asked, curious.

"Nothing," he said, looking a little uncomfortable. It dawned on her. He meant the kiss. Did she remember the one time he kissed her. She opened her mouth to say something but decided against it, what if he didn't meant he kiss? Besides who would remember a kiss from so long ago. Or maybe…

"We're up Weasley," he said, nodding at Minerva. Ginny took a second to gather herself and followed Draco to the dance floor. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as the music started. Draco bowed and extended a hand. She took it gracefully and he pulled her close to him as they began to move.

"Don't be nervous," he whispered close to her ear.

"I'm not nervous," she countered back, smiling at the crowd.

"You're stiff," he said and then let his hand fall lower on her waist. He squeezed her other hand and dipped her. She gasped as he brought her back up.

"Hope you didn't mind the change of plans," he said, laughing slightly. She could feel his breathe fan her neck. The students were instructed to join them on the dance floor.

"No, it was…brilliant," she said, knowing it was so much better. He was close, really close. His cheek was brushing her forehead every now and then and as their skin made contact, another bolt of lightening struck through. She was on fire being so close to him, intoxicated by his nearness. She just wanted to let her hands explore him, feel up his arms, into his hair, draw him closer and taste his skin with her mouth. She gulped, shaking her head.

"You're red in the face, Weasley," he commented. She took a deep breathe.

"It's just really hot in here," she lied. She felt Draco turn and move and noticed Harry standing on the dance floor.

"Can I have this dance?" he asked. Draco starred at her for a beat before stepping back.

"She's all yours, Potter," he said curtly and took one last look at her before striding back towards their table. Ginny watched after him, feeling colder than ever.

"You look amazingly beautiful," he whispered in her ear. When Harry did it, it felt different. Like hot air blown into her ear. She jerked her head and mumbled her thanks. She stepped closer and rested her head on his shoulder. Harry relaxed into the pose. Ginny hated to admit the only reason she did it so she could see Draco. He was starring at her. His eyes never left hers. Following every move. One song, two songs, at the fourth song he got up and walked towards the exit. Ginny's heart called out. She didn't want to be dancing with Harry.

"Harry," she said suddenly, jerking back, "I'm going to get some air." She didn't wait for a response and walked past him. Her heart beat got louder and faster with each step she took. She walked past the table and towards the exit from the Hall.

She walked down the hall and saw a blonde head go up the stairs. She didn't think, as if on autopilot she followed him. She had just reached the second floor when she saw him disappear onto a balcony. Her blood was roaring and singing in her ears as she got closer to the balcony. His back was turned, he was looking down the ground. The rustle of her dress made him turn. She watched as the surprise registered on his face.

"Weasley, what're you doing here?" he asked, turning so he was facing her. He looked confused.

"I don't know," she blurted, ringing her hands in front of her. She was nervous. His brow furrowed.

"You don't know?" he repeated. She took a shaky breath.

"I don't know," she replied again. He watched her carefully and crossed his arms over his chest. He was analyzing her. She didn't like it one bit.

"Are you sure you don't know?" he asked, stepping closer, letting his arms drop by his sides. She didn't move back, she stayed rooted in her spot. She gulped.

"What do you mean?" she asked. The moonlight glinted off of the lake behind him and she felt a breeze touch her bare skin. He was getting closer. He stood in front of her now, their shoes touching.

"What do you think I mean?" he asked, huskily. She noticed his voice was an octave lower. She could barely think.

"You remember," she breathed, looking up at him. They both knew what she was talking about.

"Of course I remember," he said, before slamming his mouth to hers.

She moaned as his lips touched hers. He gathered her in his arms and moved back. He sat down on the bench and she straddled him. She let her hands wonder over his broad shoulders and into his hair. She released his hair and gathered it in her hands. He broke off the kiss to kiss her jaw and trace his hands up from her waist.

She let herself trace his neck and his chest and then began to unbutton his shirt.

—

Draco was on fire. He couldn't believe Ginny was in his arms. She was moaning as he kissed her, touched her. He went hard instantly and wanted nothing more than to take her back to his bed. He kissed her neck and was delighted as she threw her head back in pleasure. He needed more skin, he needed more of her. He gripped the top of her dress and forced it down. He heard her gasp as he exposed her soft skin underneath and he groaned when he saw her breasts illuminated in the moonlight.

He looked up and saw her eyes dark with desire, her mouth parted, bruised. He traced her bottom lip with his thumb and watched her shiver. Shit! She was cold. He grabbed his wand and quickly put a warming spell on the balcony alone. She sighed and closed her eyes as he traced from her belly button to the slopes of her breasts. She was gorgeous. He leaned forward and touched the tip with his tongue. She bucked against his hips and started to breath hard. He was having a hard time controlling himself.

He let his mouth explore her, travelling back up her neck, this time nibbling as he went along. She was whining at this point and he couldn't take much more. She grabbed his face, starring at him, mouth open breathing hard. She kissed him fiercely. She touched his tongue with hers and he moaned. He was beyond hot now, he felt like fire. He broke off the kiss and starred at her.

"I want you, Ginny. Now," he saw her nod and got up with her legs still around his waist. He looked at her again.

"Ginny Weasley, you're going to enjoy every minute of it," he whispered, starring at her. He watched her eyes darken at his words and smiled as she fisted her hands in his shirt.

"Draco, now, please," she begged.

"Ginny!"

They both froze. It was Harry's voice. Harry's voice coming towards them up the staircase. Ginny scrambled off of Draco and quickly put her dress back on. Draco stared dumbly at her. If they wanted, they could have gone quickly enough without Harry seeing them.

"Ginny?" he asked. She looked up at him her eyes wide, she was worried, he could see it. She was afraid. He didn't want her like this. Not when she was clearly conflicted.

"Please, I'm so sorry, you have to go," she pleaded, trying to look presentable.

Draco felt her words like a punch to the stomach. She had made her choice. She didn't choose him.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ginny looked up at her ceiling, trying to make sense of where her life was headed. She sighed heavily. She didn't dare close her eyes because every time she did, she felt him. Her stomach did a somersault at the memory of Draco's lips on her, biting her neck, grabbing at her. She began to get hot and stuffed her face into a pillow. She bit her lip and remembered the way he looked at her, the way he promised her a night of pleasure. She groaned.

She heard a knock at the door and mumbled a quick "come in."

Someone cleared their throat. She looked up and saw Harry, head cocked to one side, a grin set in place.

"Sleepy?" he asked. She nodded, squinting up at him. She could only imagine the state her hair was in.

"I have to go before breakfast."

Ginny nodded and lay bed, staring up at him as he came to sit on the edge of the bed. He tucked some stray strands of hair behind her head and let his hand rest on her cheek. Guilt came crashing in on her as looked at her. She noticed something in his hand and gestured towards it. He wordlessly handed her some photos.

Her stomach did another somersault as her legs felt like pudding. The pictures were from last night, of Draco and Ginny dancing. There was some more of Neville and Luna. She tried to flip through them as casually as possible but her eyes lingered on the ones with Draco. The last photo was of Harry and Ginny, the look on her face, was almost pained. Even bored.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked, stirring her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see his lips set in a thin serious line. Ginny's heart beat widely against her ribs, she didn't like the look on his face. She got up and leaned against the headboard.

Harry grabbed her other hand and in both of his. He traced the lines and felt her fingers.

"There's nothing going on between you and Draco is there?" he whispered, looking at her hand. She paused.

"Of course not," she lied.

"It's jut that, if there was. I… I would want to know now."

"Harry, why are you even asking?" she dared.

"I don't know, something about the way you two were dancing, looking at each other. I don't know," he said, sounding a little unconvinced. She began to shake her head, not trusting herself to speak. Was she really that obvious?

He brought her hand to her lips, a pained expression flashed on his face, before he smiled slightly. He kissed her hand and dug in his pocket.

"This is for you. I know we said no gifts, and saving for the wedding, but it's really small."

Ginny unravelled the small brown package and gasped when she saw the crystal rose head, the size of a small plum.

"It changes colours based on what the owner is feeling," he explained. She let it slip through her fingers as she reached up to hug him, her chest tightening from the guilt. Neither of them seeing the rose turn yellow.

—

She didn't dare tell Luna about what had happened with her and Draco. But she needed to see Draco, talk to him, try to sort of her confused feelings.

Draco, however, was making that quite difficult. She barely saw him at breakfast or dinner, and on the odd occasion that she did, he managed to avoid eye contact with her. It had been weeks and she still hadn't been able to talk to him. It was quite strange based on how they had treated each other that night on the balcony.

Although she wanted to sit and think about what had conspired, she didn't get much time. Hermione and her mother had been visiting her quite often. They had to move the wedding from Ginny's backyard to the giant grounds of Hogwarts. They seemed to be more than thrilled.

Ginny was sipping on some tea chatting with Hermione and Luna, her mother had fallen asleep in one of the guest bedrooms Minerva had set up. Ginny wasn't surprised to see how her former professor took delight in planning a joyous event at Hogwarts.

Luna was leaning against the bed post munching on a cookie, while Hermione laid sprawled across the bed, reading a book. Ginny was sitting against the head board staring out the window her thoughts drifting to Draco.

"Love is a funny thing isn't it?" said Hermione. Ginny turned her attention to her sister-in-law. Luna smiled sleepily.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Just thinking, how life changes. One day you're perfectly fine being on your own, then just as you're okay in your body, feeling content with your choices and views on life, you have to find someone to spend the rest of your life with!"

"Are you okay Hermione?" asked Luna.

"Yes, I'm fine. Ginny, do you think I'm right?" she asked suddenly, bolting up right. Ginny almost choked on her tea.

"Umm, yeah, what's up Hermione, you're being strange…"

"Marriage is important, Ginny," she said, staring at her. Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but closed it until a thought hit her. She glared at Luna.

"You told her," she hissed. Luna's cheeks went pink, she wasn't making eye contact. Ginny growled and got out of bed, ready to bolt.

"Ginny, if there isn't anything going on, then why are you avoiding this?" Hermione frowned.

Ginny pinched the bridge of her nose. There was a reason she never told Hermione anything. Hermione just didn't understand that people were different. That not everyone could be strong, know how they felt and save the world. Ginny sighed.

"Listen, in all the time you've been here, have you seen Draco and I even talk to each other?"

"Well…no…"

"Have you seen us even look at each other?"

"No…but, Ginny, if you're feeling —"

"They're just nerves," she bit through ground teeth. She grabbed her robe and didn't bother telling them where she was going. She took a deep breath. She needed to re-group. She decided to stroll the castle, thinking about the choices she'd made. Try as she might to make sense of her current conditions, her mind kept travelling to a certain blonde haired man.

She growled in frustration and found herself tip toeing past her door. She hadn't heard anything from her room and knew the girls who probably most likely asleep by now. She wandered past their door to stand in front of Draco's. She needed to talk to him, to see him and to just be around him. She wouldn't admit to anyone how badly she just wanted to look at him. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She clenched her fists together, fighting the urge to flee.

The door opened to Draco wearing a grey t-shirt and dark plaid blue pyjama pants. His hair was tousled and he looked surprised to see Ginny standing in front of his door. She tightened her robe around her and rocked back on her heels.

"Hey," she started, biting her lip.

"Hello," he said, his face was devoid of emotion.

"I was wondering if we could, um, talk about you know," she stammered, cursing at herself mentally.

"About?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, while he leaned against the door jam.

"I…I… you know, we…" she flayed her arms around trying to get what she was saying across. He shook his head frowning.

"We what?" he asked. She could tell he wasn't going to make this easy.

"Draco? Come back here!" said a female voice from the room. Ginny froze. It felt as if a someone had dropped a rock in the pit of her stomach.

"In a minute," he called over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she mumbled, before stepping back. She saw Draco frown.

"Wait." She stopped, wanting nothing more than to run this very minute. There was a girl with him in there. A girl he was doing God knows what with. She had a few ideas.

"Listen, I know what you're talking about and don't worry about it. I won't tell your precious Potter. It's not like it meant anything," he offered. Ginny didn't realize she could feel worse, until he had spoken. She nodded, tears threatening her eyes.

"Right. Um, yeah, thanks. You're right," she said, nodding viciously, before bounding away from him to the comfort of her own room. The tears finally cascaded down her face as she fell onto her empty bed.

—

Ginny found herself in a daze over what had happened with Draco. She was making her way to breakfast that morning but turned away last minute. She'd already said goodbye to Hermione, who left before breakfast. She didn't really want to see Luna right now either. She wanted to fly, go for a walk or do anything but be in that Hall with _him _there. She bumped into Neville on her way out.

"Ginny, you have a class this morning?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Thought I'd go for a walk," she mumbled, eyes downcast.

"Do you mind if I keep you company?" he asked and she nodded, ignoring the concern she heard in his voice.

They walked silently for some time, making there way towards the lake.

"Ginny, don't be upset with Luna." Her jaw dropped as she looked up at him.

"She told you too?"

"Hermione."

"I should've known," she rolled her eyes, seething at this point. Neville made a face and stopped walking.

"I'm glad she did. I've known you for a very long time Ginny and I've come to know Draco for some time now," he took in a deep breath. "I think you two would be good together."

Ginny blinked, she certainly hadn't been expecting that.

"It doesn't matter, Neville," she sighed.

"What do you mean? You can't expect to marry someone —"

"Draco had a girl in his room yesterday."

"Wait..what?" he asked, his brow furrowing. She nodded, dumbly, staring at the lake.

"I went to his room," she said, but hastily added, "to talk," when she saw the surprised look on Neville's face.

"I heard someone," she whispered. Neville shook his head.

"I think know who it was," he grimaced. I looked up at him.

"Who?"

"Astoria."

"Who?" I repeated.

"His ex-wife. Well I mean he told me they were divorced, not sure what she's doing here," he mumbled.

"Since when do divorced people hang out in each other's bedrooms?"

"I'm sorry, Ginny," he began.

"No, no, stop. It's okay. It was a harmless crush. I love Harry, I'm marrying Harry. Please ignore anything else Hermione told you," she begged. He put an arm around her.

"Sure was easier when we were younger."

She didn't reply, her mind elsewhere. She said goodbye to Neville and decided to go for a quick fly around the castle.

She breathed in the scent of the air and smiled. Everything this high, just seemed so much better.

"I love Harry," she told no one. She nodded, as if repeating it would make it true.

She went towards forest and noticed a blonde head. She noticed a brunette was standing close to Draco. There was no doubt about it, even from a mile away she could spot his head. She bit her lip, she was curious. She just wanted to see what they were doing, maybe nothing had happened in his room. _Yeah, right. _She willed the voice in her head to shut up and slowly rode towards Draco.

She was close now, many feet above them, but she hid behind a tree, trying to listen in on their conversation.

"Come on, Draco, please," Astoria begged.

"It seems unusual, not to mention, a little weird," he muttered.

"It's not. If you think about it, I won't pressure you, but it would mean a lot to me," she said.

At first Ginny almost thought she was saying something sexual but shook her head. It couldn't be…or could it? They were whispering now. Ginny wished they would speak up. She decided to move in a little closer.

Astoria was still talking and Ginny was trying to strain her ears to listen when she looked passed them and saw a few first year students walk across the grounds. One of the girls looked right up at her, or the sky. She couldn't tell, she was hiding behind a very tall tree. Ginny's heart hammered in her chest as the girl frowned. Her eyes widened in fear. She poked her head out from the tree and mouth "no" she even shook her head, hoping the girl wouldn't say anything. The girl look horrified.

Ginny quickly looked down to see if Draco and Astoria were still deep in conversation. She watched as Draco frowned and looked at the little girl, who was now pointy energetically at Ginny. Ginny swore, she had to leave, now. She had to back out of the tree slowly, if she was too fast, the rustle of the leaves would surely cause everyone to look up.

Too late, Draco looked up and his eyes connected with hers. She panicked, and shot up towards the sky. In her haste to get away she turned upside down, and not realizing where she was going, she flew straight into the castle, hard. She groaned as she hit the castle and lost her balance on her broom. Screaming as she fell towards the earth.

—

Ginny blinked. She looked about. She was in the hospital wing. She tried to move up and groaned. Her head was pounding. She looked around, it was dark and she could see a small body on another bed at the other end of the room.

"Oh, good you're up," said a voice. She turned to see Hannah Abbott. Ginny blinked, although they had no relation, she looked a lot like Madam Pomfrey. Luna and Neville had asked her to come with them to Hogsmeade on occasion, but she often had a sick student or two and could never make it out.

"What happened, last I remember…" she blinked, trying to remember. It came back at a sickeningly fast rate. Draco. Spying. Flying away. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping none of it was true.

"You fell from your broom, but from the look of it, fainted before you hit the ground. Which luckily didn't happen either," she grinned, checking her wrist for her pulse. Ginny nodded and then frowned suddenly.

"Wait, what do you mean, did I not hit the ground?" Hannah blinked.

"Of course not, you wouldn't be in one piece if you did."

"How'd I get here?"

"Professor Malfoy brought you here. I believe he was also the one who stopped you from falling as well," she said nonchalantly.

"Dra— Malfoy saved?"

"Yes."

"Draco Malfoy?"

"Is there any other?" Hannah asked, confused. Ginny shook her head.

"You just missed him too, he was waiting for you to wake up," she said. Ginny eye's bugged out of her head.

"Draco Malfoy was here, waiting for me?" she asked, her heart rate already speeding up. Hannah nodded.

"Astoria wouldn't leave, she demanded to make sure you were okay. I managed to shoo them away, I told them I'd let them know if you woke up."

Ginny felt mortified. It wasn't Draco who wanted to say, it was his lovely wife. Or ex-wife, or current lover. Whatever she was, she was nice enough to care for Ginny's well being. Despite that, it hurt to think Draco didn't want to stay to see if she was okay. Ginny smiled weakly at Hannah.

"Thanks, do you mind… not telling them? I'm terribly embarrassed, you know flying instructor and all, falling off my broom."

Hannah nodded empathically, "Just rest up. Oh! I haven't had time to congratulate you on the wedding, you must so excited. It's so close now."

Ginny nodded. She was about to thank her when someone rushed in. Blonde hair dishevelled, it was Luna, followed by Neville close on her heels.

"See, I told you she was up," Luna said, triumphantly to Neville. He was heaving heavily and Hannah frowned at him, getting up to see if he was okay. He waved her away.

"I'm fine," he wheezed.

"You could do with less pie at dinner," Hannah mumbled. Neville glared at her.

"I don't tell you how to live your life," he replied, trying to catch his breathe. Hannah rolled her eyes and went towards another student who was laying in a bed down the room. She'd woken up as dazed and confused as Ginny had.

"Are you okay?" asked Luna, a worried look upon her face. She reached for Ginny's hand and Ginny pulled away. Luna looked like she'd been slapped. Neville frowned.

"Get over it, Ginny. Come on, I know it wasn't right for her. But it's Harry. We all owe him our life. It's kind of hard when you're stuck in the middle."

She ignored him. She guessed it was true, it stung though. Harry always came first.

"That's not entirely true. I mean, yes, you're both my friends. I just needed to talk to someone about something so big. I feel like if I couldn't persuade you to make a choice, maybe everyone could," she said. "And to let you know, no matter who you choose. We'll always be there for you."

Ginny looked at her pained expression and sighed. She was still angry, but realized, it may be better for all of them if she just forgave Luna. Besides, her head hurt too much to hold a grudge any longer.

"It doesn't matter. Draco's wife, or whatever is here. They were together last night. I'm marrying Harry," she repeated the mantra. Luna nodded, sadly and Neville stood still. Someone cleared their throat.

The three of them looked up to see Astoria and Draco. Astoria smiled at Ginny. It was a warm smile, devoid of any evilness. Ginny wished she had been horrible, at least she'd have a slightly more valid reason for hating her. Draco stood there, staring at the wall above her head. He didn't make eye contact, in fact, he looked bored to be there. Ginny looked away, it was hard seeing him not smiling or making fun of her, just standing there as if she wasn't there.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?" asked Astoria, a worried look on her face. She brushed back her bangs and that's when Ginny noticed it. The ring. The engagement ring the size of a tennis ball. Okay, maybe she was exaggerating, but it was certainly the biggest one she'd ever seen. So they weren't divorced, or were they getting re-married? Either way, Ginny felt sick all over again.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, not making eye contact.

"That's a relief, it looked like such a scary fall. What happened up there?"

Ginny winced. "Lost control of the broom." Astoria nodded as if it was the most valid reasoning there was.

"It happens to even the most experienced of us. Draco saw it happen and he rushed you here. Anyway, we just wanted to make sure you were okay. Hope you have a fast recovery," she smiled. "Oh! This fell out of her pocket."

She put the crystal rose on her bed. Ginny starred down at it and blinked. The crystal was clear, emanating no colour.

"It's very nice, I figured you'd want it back." Ginny watched as she grabbed Draco's arm and they walked out. She sat there stunned. Draco hadn't even looked at her. She felt tears prick at her eyes.

"He didn't even notice me," she said quietly. Before she knew it, she was crying into Luna's embrace.

—

Astoria smiled up at Draco as he relaxed under her grip. She narrowed her eyes as they reached his bedroom. He walked in and ran a hand through his hair. Astoria sat down on the cot he had set up for himself the night before, so she could sleep on the bed.

"So, you saw her, do you feel better now? She looks fine," she said, grinning. "She's very pretty."

Draco rolled his eyes sitting on his bed. He looked up at her.

"Thanks for doing that, I needed to see with my own eyes."

Astoria snorted. "Could have fooled me, you didn't even look at her Draco."

"I told you," he sighed. "She chose Potter. They're getting married."

"No, you don't get it," Astoria shook her head. "I saw the way she looked at you."

"Did you not hear the whole story I told you the other night?"

"Oh, I heard you. But trust me. I saw the look in her eye when she saw you."

"This isn't really helping, Astoria," he mumbled.

"I'm telling you, Draco. You need to tell her how you feel, before it's too late."

"Since when did you become an expert in love?"

"Since falling in love myself," she batted her eyelashes. "Have you given any thought to my request?"

Draco grimaced. "I still don't see why you want to get married at Malfoy Manor. You got married there the first time. Besides, isn't it weird, being my ex-wife and all."

Astoria groaned. "You know I don't care about that. I have yet to find another place prettier. Just think about it okay?"

Astoria had come to convince Draco about using his manor for her wedding. She ended up staying the night. They had become good friends during their marriage. She got up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You have to tell her," she said. Draco looked up at her, his pained expression broke her heart. He looked more vulnerable than she'd ever seen him. He was miserable over this.

"I love her," he whispered, agony sketched on his face. Astoria nodded, tears threatening her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ginny spent her days teaching, hanging out with Luna, Neville (sometimes Hannah) and planning for her wedding. She noticed if she kept herself busy enough, she didn't think about Draco. Okay, so that was a lie, but keeping busy made her cry less. All in all, she was coping the best ways she could… given her situation. Draco continued to avoid her. Which was bittersweet. His quietness had gotten Hermione off her back and no one brought him up again, to her relief.

Still. Whenever she closed her eyes she thought of Draco. Whenever she was alone with her thoughts, at night, nothing keeping her busy, her mind drifted to that one night she had with him. It still made her hot just thinking about it, but it was accompanied with sadness.

In a way, she was grateful, this way she didn't have to choose between Draco and Harry. Draco chose Astoria. She chose Harry. It was fine. Everyone would be happy. Ginny would learn to be happy.

No matter how many times she tried to tell herself it was going to be fine. There was a nagging feeling inside her chest. She always managed to smother it down.

"What're you thinking about?" asked Neville. Ginny blinked and shook her head as they walked down the hall. She was fingering the crystal rose, deep in thought.

"Nothing, nothing," she mumbled.

"Excited for the wedding?" asked Neville. The wedding was tomorrow. The weather was looking a lot better and the snow had all but melted away.

"Nervous," she grinned up at him. Which was the truth. He nodded and hesitated before speaking.

"I know we haven't talked about it, but is everything okay, with you, know, the whole Draco ordeal?"

"Yeah, yeah, I mean it's not like I was in love with him. Just a small crush. Cold feet," she replied. Neville didn't look convinced but dropped the subject anyway. He looked at his pocket watch and swore.

"Sorry, gotta run, going to be late for class."

Ginny waved him off and looked back at the rose. She gulped. Her thoughts drifted to Draco and she watched as a colour swirled in the rose. She kept walking, her thoughts on Draco, when the colours began to swirl to one bright colour.

She looked up and saw Draco down the hall. He looked up at her too and he looked down at his paper. She starred at the crystal now which had finally turned red in his presence. She starred at it stunned and bumped into a body that was coming towards her. She dropped the rose and looked up hurriedly.

Draco stared at her, he had been reading the paper and dropped it as well. In their haste to ignore each other, they had done exactly what they had feared.

She saw he was surprised to see her. It had been so long since she'd been this close to him. So close she could make out the outline of his lips. So close she could smell him, bringing back memories of stolen kisses on the balcony. The memory made her blush. She thought she saw his eyes darken, almost as if he knew what she was thinking about. Her eyes fell to his lips and she watched as he sucked in a breath. He bent forward and she followed grabbing the paper as he grabbed the rose.

He seemed to stop for a moment, bending towards the ground, before getting up and shoving the crystal rose on the paper she had in her hands. He didn't even bother taking the paper back as he pushed past her, trying to get away from her as fast as possible. She frowned and tried not to cry as she looked at what he was reading.

Her heart stopped. In bold letters, she saw: _Astoria Greengrass weds heir of Zabini fortune, Blaise Zabini. _

She looked back her heart hammering, Draco was already down the hall.

—

Draco cursed, as he leaned against the window. He flung it open, his hands shaking, he took in the afternoon air. Trying to compose himself after the encounter. He had managed to successfully avoid her for some time now.

He hadn't even looked at her. Okay that was a lie, he had gone to every Quidditch game to sneak glances at her when she wasn't looking. He missed her. He missed just being near her, talking to her, even if they were fighting. But he knew he had been doing the right thing. It all made sense, until now.

He was breathing hard. It had all made sense, until he had seen the crystal rose. There was no mistaking it. She held it, looked at him and Draco watched the colour swirl and turn red. Was Ginny in love with him?

—

"We're just finishing up," said Hermione. "We'll be ready for you in ten, okay?"

Ginny nodded, she was putting some finishing touches on her makeup as Luna was fussing over her hair. Ginny could barely breathe. She was marrying a good man. A man that loved her, a man that be loyal and the least she could do for him was try to love him back.

"Did…" Ginny stopped. She didn't want to talk about him today. Luna stopped and dropped her hands.

"He didn't send a response, but he did get an invitation," she said. Ginny nodded. She was thankful Luna hadn't said anything else. She didn't think she could take it right now.

—

Draco was sitting on his bed when his door burst open. Astoria was standing there, looking angrier than he had seen her in quite a while.

"Astoria?"

She glared at him. "Did you not get any of my mail? No? Liar. What are you doing? I thought you were going to stop Ginny. The wedding has already started," she came over and began tugging on his arm. He shook his head and stayed seated. He heard her growl.

"Listen. Even if she is in love with me, you don't see her stopping the wedding. She's going through with it, she's marrying him," he said, bitterly. Astoria stopped tugging on his arm.

"Wait, what? What do you mean even if she is?"

Draco explained about the run-in with her yesterday and the crystal rose. He was almost done his story when he felt Astoria slap his face. He looked up, shocked.

"You idiot! Of course she's in love with you! I've been telling you for weeks, you finally got your proof and you're not stopping her wedding because she won't stop it first?" she screamed. "Are you serious? What are we in, first year? Let go of your pride Draco!"

"But I'm afraid, what if she doesn't —"

Astoria threw her arms in the air. "She's not going to stop her wedding, even if she loves you. Draco, you ignored her, she thinks you hate her. I mean she clearly doesn't love Harry either way, so she probably should stop the wedding — whatever, doesn't matter. Point is, she needs you! She needs to know you love her too!"

Draco looked back at the clock. The wedding had started. Astoria waved her hand and screamed for him to stop it before it was too late.

He ran. He ran as fast as he could. Draco saw the lake and squinted as he ran. He saw her red hair at the altar. He gulped, he didn't care, he had to reach her before it was too late. He didn't bother waiting and screamed her name as he got closer.

"Ginny! Ginny, don't do it!"

His father would probably roll in his grave if he knew what Draco was doing. Draco didn't care. Astoria was right. What was he doing? He needed to tell Ginny and stop this. He got to the end of the isle and took a breath. All eyes turned on him. He looked at the altar and froze. The red hair he had seen wasn't Ginny's, it was Ron Weasley. Draco was still breathing hard.

"Ginny?" he asked. Ron looked at Draco like he had gone mad, Hermione stood in front of Ron, an annoying look upon her face.

"Obviously not," she rolled her eyes.

"Draco?"

He turned, Ginny had been sitting down towards his left, in the front row. She got up from her chair, staring at him.

"Ginny!" he exclaimed as soon as he saw her.

He started to walk towards her when suddenly he felt a fist connect with his jaw. He swore and stumbled. He looked up to see Harry seething in anger. Draco growled and lunged for him. Harry toppled back and Draco took the chance to punch him in the nose. People were screaming as they wrestled each other on the ground. They threw a few more punches before Draco felt the sharp sting of being stunned. He momentarily caught a worried look on Ginny's face before everything went black.

—

Ginny was pacing outside of the hospital wing. She was seething in anger. She couldn't believe what had happened.

"The pacing won't make them wake up faster," said Luna. Ginny glared at her.

"It'll help me."

Ginny shook her head as she remembered the day's events that had led to this. The morning had started out fine, but she realized last minute, she couldn't do it. Seeing Harry up at the altar, it was too real, the promise felt too real. She couldn't marry Harry.

His dejected face was enough to make her feel horrible. Of course, then her parents weighed in, her brothers, her aunt and uncles, all looking like she had murdered the family dog. When Hermione and Ron offered to re-new their vows, she had felt a little bit at ease.

Of course, not five minutes had passed before Draco came barreling down the grounds screaming her name. Then Harry attacked him. When her father finally stunned them both, she knew what true embarrassment felt like. Her mother's disappointed look still made Ginny cringe.

"If Draco is who you want, they'll come around," Luna reassured. Ginny wasn't so sure. Ron had given her an earful before Hermione had dragged him off. Her parents refused to even look at her as they followed Ron. The rest of her family had similar outbursts as Ron except George.

George had said he was so impressed with Draco's right hook, he accepted him in the family. He had kissed her goodbye and went off to calm Ron down. Ginny smiled to herself and swallowed a sob. Times like this is when she really missed Fred.

Hannah opened the door and grimaced.

"They're both awake, but I had to give them something to calm them down. Err…you can try talking to them," she said and moved out of the way as Ginny rushed passed her.

Draco was laying on a bed across from Harry. Both of them had dopey smiles on their faces. They turned to her and grinned. Harry's face was bruising up, his nose seemed broken. Draco's eye and jaw looked in bad shape.

"Ginny, you're here," slurred Harry.

"Hey, hey, she's mine," Draco slurred back. Harry tried frowning but he went back to smiling. He wagged a finger at Draco.

"No, no, no, she's mine!"

Draco shook his head, stilling smiling, "No, no, no, she's mine!"

Ginny looked between the two in horror. She turned to look at Hannah, who looked tired.

"What, on earth, did you give them?"

"They were going to rip each other apart, I had to!"

Ginny groaned and something inside of her snapped.

"I'm going away," she declared. The boys continued screaming "mine" not hearing her. Luna looked at her, as if she was crazy.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm going on my honeymoon. Alone. I can't be around these two right now. I need to get away," she said, backing up, staring at the two. Hannah nodded.

"That's a really good idea."

"See you in a week," Ginny mumbled before rushing out of the hospital wing.

—

_One week later…_

Ginny flopped on her bed and sighed, smiling to herself. She'd just spent a glorious week in Bora Bora, alone. She'd gone swimming on the beach, she never knew muggles could relax so well without magic. She'd gotten a massage, eaten almost everything she could get her hands on and simply enjoyed the view. It gave her time to think.

She'd also gotten countless owls from her family, especially Ron, some from her parents, one from George and a few from Harry. She'd read all of them and ignored Ron's. She could still remember how confused the workers at the resort looked seeing all those owls come to her room. She groaned at the memory.

She heard a knock at the door. She opened it to see Hannah standing in the doorway.

"Ginny, thank God. I thought I recognized your red hair, you have to hurry!" she exclaimed.

"What's wrong? Hurry for what?"

"You don't know, do you?"

Ginny's smile faded. 'What?"

"Draco…he…got offered a position at Durmstrang. He accepted it," she replied, looking sad.

Ginny's heart felt heavy in her chest.

"What, why?"

"I'm sorry, Ginny, I don't know the answer to that. But I just saw him leave through the front doors —"

Ginny didn't wait for her to finish. In all her time at Bora Bora, she wondered why he didn't send her an owl. Not one and now he was leaving? Ginny became angrier as she ran. She pushed open the door and saw a familiar blonde head dragging his luggage down the path.

"Draco Malfoy!"

She saw him freeze. He stopped and turned around. Ginny ran up to him and glared at him.

"Where are you going?" He seemed surprised to see her. He was wearing jeans, and a forest green crew neck sweater. He seemed tired, his hair was tied back.

"Durmstrang," he replied as she stuffed a hand in his pocket. Ginny nodded.

"Why'd you do it," she asked, swallowing hard.

"Do what?" he asked, warily, eyeing her.

Ginny's anger dissipated. They were both strangely calm.

"Stop my wedding."

"You weren't getting married though."

"Okay, put you didn't realize that, till you got there. So, why'd you do it?"

"Because."

"Because?"

"Why'd you come running after me?"

"Because," she echoed back at him. He smirked softly.

"Listen, I have to —"

"So, you were just going to leave like that?"

"Excuse me?"

"You weren't even going to say goodbye?"

"Goodbye?"

She walked up to him, their feet almost touching. She shook her head looking up at him. She could smell him now, look into his eyes. She couldn't tear her eyes away, she took in the sight of him, wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of her days, being near him like this.

"You left first," he whispered, looking down at her. She saw the pain on his face and her heart broke. She took a deep breath.

"Listen… I left because I needed to think. I needed to be alone, to make sure the decisions I made were sound. But you know what? I wasn't alone." She heard him suck in a breath, he took a step back. She took another toward him.

"No, no. Not like that. You, Draco. You consumed my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about you. I tried, but I just want to be with you and I know you're leaving but —" She was cut off as he titled her chin and crushed his mouth to hers.

She couldn't think, she wrapped her arms around him as he lifted her in his arms. Her legs went around his waist and he groaned shoving his hand in her hair. She was on fire, every part of her body was tingling. He left her lips to trail kisses down her neck, he licked her, and bit softly. She shuddered against him and moaned. Her hands fisted in his hair. She was breathing hard.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips. She froze and pulled away from him. She looked him in the eyes, watched as doubt flashed across his eyes as she stayed quiet. She grinned.

"I love you too," and she was kissing him again, more feverishly. He moved to sit down on a nearby rock and he broke off the kiss.

"Tell me you love me again," he demanded, looking back at her. She blushed.

"I love you Draco Malfoy, I've loved you since…" she grabbed for him, but he pulled back.

"Wait, you've loved me since when?" he asked. Ginny blushed again, and felt a little embarrassed.

"I've had feelings for you since that kiss, years ago," he replied, deadpan.

Ginny's jaw dropped.

"Me too," she confessed. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her below the ear. He let his hands travel from her waist, he began to unbutton her shirt as he kissed her.

"Finally!" exclaimed a voice. Ginny broke free and noticed Neville and Luna, they were still far away but she could hear Luna whooping with joy and laughter. Ginny waved back but Draco grabbed her chin and found her lips.

"We wasted all that time, it was all your fault," he murmured against her lips. She peeled herself away from his kiss, breathing hard, mouth bruised.

"Me? Excuse me? This was all _your _fault," she exclaimed, scrambling out of his lap. She instantly felt cold, missing the warmth of his body.

"Me? I made my intentions pretty clear."

"What! No, you didn't!"

"Of course I did!"

"Oh, please. You treated me like an other conquest of yours, how was I to know you felt differently. You acted like it was a game. At least, with me, you could tell I actually genuinely liked you."

"Are you serious? You were getting freaking married! How the hell was I supposed to tell?"

"Couldn't you see the way I looked at you?"

"No! At least actually made advances toward you!"

"Yeah, right, You ignored me! You told me our kiss meant nothing to you. I had the decency to stalk you."

"I only did that because you chose Potter."

"I didn't choose Harry! Oh, you're such an idiot!" she threw her hands in the air and stormed towards the castle. Draco growled and followed her.

—

Neville and Luna walked hand in hand behind Draco and Ginny and watched as they both stormed towards the castle. Neville brushed a kiss on Luna's temple.

"Well that didn't last long," he mumbled. Luna shook her head and grimaced as she heard them bickering. They watched as Draco and Ginny screamed at each other.

"Never a dull moment with those two right?" Luna asked, looking up at Neville. He grinned before kissing her softly. She deepened the kiss and moaned. He smiled against her lips.

"Wait, I don't hear anything…did they kill each other?"

Neville and Luna broke apart to see Ginny and Draco locked in a passionate embrace. He had her pinned on the ground and she wrapped her legs around him. He only broke away from the kiss to take off his sweater before he kissed her feverishly and finished unbuttoning her shirt. They heard her moan loudly.

Neville rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? They made up already?"

Luna was already running towards them. "Come on, help me get them off each other. Don't they know they can't do this here? What if a student sees, this is hardly appropriate behaviour for professors!"

Neville shook his head and mumbled under his breath glaring ahead as he followed Luna. He watched as Luna tried to pry Draco off of Ginny, but they were too consumed with each other to notice. Neville stopped despite himself and smiled. He'd always remember this.

THE END

NOTE: Sorry for the wait. I've been sick lately. I hope you enjoyed this story! I know it's only seven chapters, but I felt like I wanted to end the story here. I actually have another great idea for a story, so stay tuned!


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